Through Broken Glass
by Kyzerkai
Summary: At the start of his journey with Jiraiya, Naruto is lost at sea. Found by Shinra, he makes his way into SOLDIER. But as the veil of valor falls from Shinra, Naruto sets off with Cloud and the rest to stop Sephiroth, and come to terms with who he's become.
1. Lost

**A/N: **I don't own Naruto or Final Fantasy VII (insert witty comment about if I did).

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki had never seen the open ocean before. Sure, he'd _seen_ the ocean, and that had been an eye-opener, but that was in wave country, where it was full of islands. You could never see the sun rise, orange light running along the endless seas from the ends of the earth. No, in Wave Country he'd only viewed it through fog so thick the sun ceased to exist, or over their shoulder as they walked across the great bridge homeward bound.

But this, this was something completely different.

Naruto stared out from the pier on the south-eastern edge of Fire Country. Beyond here were international waters. Now why was he here? Simple: this was where his training journey began.

Jiraiya stared out to the ocean with his apprentice. "Nice view?"

"Oh yeah!" Naruto chirped. "It's amazing!"

"Our ship's about to call boarding. Did you buy anything with the money I lent you?"

Lent? What did the pervy sage mean by lent? Even with that money, how much did he still owe? Naruto hadn't forgotten how thin Jiraiya had made Gama-chan! And this old man had the balls to say it was 'lent'?

On the plus side, that money _did _come in handy. Naruto raised a large box. "Yup! Twenty bowls of Ramen!"

Jiraiya twitched. "T-twenty?"

"Is there a problem?"

"…I'm surprised you bought so few."

"They cut me off! Said they were had too many customers to keep making it for me! I'll have to limit myself to two bowls a day! Ramen withdrawal!"

"Drama queen." Jiraiya chuckled at the cross look on Naruto's face.

Naruto set his case down. "Hey, Pervy Sage, when we gonna train? You haven't taught me one thing in the past two weeks."

"We've been traveling those two weeks."

"I could've relearned Rasengan in that time!"

Jiraiya grinned. Of course he had something planned. But he'd taught Naruto one technique while they traveled looking for Granny. Why couldn't they do it again? It wasn't like they'd been running towards the docks. They'd just been walking, like ordinary travelers. So far, all the old man taught him was the art of the pack mule!

Naruto turned back to the sea, reminiscing of the time with his friends. It had hit him only an hour after he left: he wouldn't be seeing them for another three years. It seemed like nothing when he was sitting with Iruka, eating his last bowl of Ichiraku ramen.

But then again, Naruto had always been one to live in the now and not think about tomorrow. When he was with Iruka eating ramen, that was all there was. No missions, no travel, no homesickness. But now, there was no Iruka, no team seven, no Konoha 11, no granny Hokage; just him and the pervy sage.

But right now, with the old man at his side, he found that wasn't so bad.

A fog horn. That was what they called that noise, right? It's not like they had anything like that in Konoha. That noise meant get on, or time to go, wasn't it? It seemed so. Naruto and Jiraiya grabbed their bags and bid farewell to the land of Fire.

* * *

Five days. Five days without ramen. And they were still three days away. Naruto didn't know if he'd make it.

Being the live-in-the-moment kind of guy, he'd eaten all twenty bowls of ramen in two days, and had to resort to eating, _ugh, _cafeteria food. Yet every dish they served seemed to have some sort of vegetable in it. On top of that, it was always one he couldn't pick out. Yet, at the demand of his hungry belly, Naruto forced it down. Yes, even the spinach. Kakashi-Sensei would be so proud.

Today he was eating pork with tomato soup. Jiraiya had already finished his meal, and was scouting the area. After all, with private baths being what they were, he had no hope of conducting research here, so he took what little voyeurism he could get. Honestly, there wasn't even a pool. He should've chosen a better boat.

Naruto almost coughed as he sipped the soup. He thought soup was supposed to make you feel good, not gag.

"Oi, Pervy Sage, how much longer we gotta stay on this floating, ramen-less prison?!"

Jiraiya sighed. "Three days, at least?" He said for the sixth time that day.

"Can't we just summon a toad and ride it there?"

"The boss would roast me with flies if I summoned him in salt water, and if I summoned his kids…" Neither party wanted to imagine the consequences. "Aah, why didn't I get a ship with group bathes? It would've been a perfect vacation!"

"This isn't a vacation, Pervy Sage!" Naruto growled and drained his soup, his hunger just barely restraining his gag reflex. "Can we spar, at least? I'm going crazy here."

"No sparring on the boat. Trust me, we'll get plenty of that in Water Country."

Ah yes, 'Village of the Bloody Mist'. How could he forget? Still…

Naruto gave a small roar. "That's still how many days away?!"

"Three." Jiraiya said, reaching lucky number seven.

Naruto banged his head on the table. "I just want some excitement…the ocean's way too boring."

Jiraiya looked out the window, and stared at the dark clouds in the middle of their path to the Mist. "Be careful what you wish for…"

* * *

Two days later, Naruto found himself missing the boring old ocean.

The ship rocked back and forth as waved pelted the windows. It sounded like thousands of rocks were being thrown at the boat at once. Dishes, tables, and even people were being thrown about. The captain had requested that everyone return to their rooms, for their own safety.

Naruto and Jiraiya were hugging the floor with their Chakra to keep from moving. They stared out their window into the dark abyss that they called the sea.

Naruto cringed as black water leapt up the side of the ship, as if trying to pull it down into the depths. He had to wonder if other ships had already been pulled down by this monster they called a storm. Were they going to be next?

"Will we make it?" Naruto asked.

"The ship won't sink from just this. We'll make it." Jiraiya nodded, turning away.

Naruto continued to look outside. He never wanted his first experience with the ocean to be like this. He'd always heard there could be terrible storms in the ocean: tsunamis, hurricanes, and the like, but he never knew what it was like being in the middle of them.

It almost reminded Naruto of Kakashi-Sensei's battle with Zabuza. On that day, he experienced top-tier Ninjutsu for the first time. Both ninjas, harnessing the forces of nature, and unleashing a deadly barrage of attacks. The water dragon, the giant waterfall, those techniques had scarred the very land. That was the power Naruto had wanted. That was why he had followed Jiraiya. That was why he was here now.

Perhaps it was the will of the gods, or perhaps merely coincidence, but it was at that moment, right before Naruto planned to look away, that he caught a light in the distance. Land? Was that land? It was a lighthouse! They made it!

Naruto flew past Jiraiya and out the door, running out into the hallway, and straight onto the deck. He ran to the end of the deck and right onto the bow, leaping over the railing as far as his body would bend.

There it was, the land of Water, their destination. Training, adventure, and ramen awaited him! He could see himself leaving that land in three years, taller, stronger, braver, with Jiraiya patting him on the back, proud to have him as his pupil. He'd come home, where his friends would be waiting for him. Sakura-Chan would give him a bone-shattering hug, Kakashi-Sensei would give that smile that you can never see but you always know, and Iruka would have a bowl of ramen in hand. They'd all be there, waiting for him.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya shouted from across the deck, illuminated in the moonlight. "Naruto, get back here!"

Naruto turned around, grinning. "There it is, pervy sage! There it is! We're here!"

"Naruto, get away from there!"

"Pervy Sage, get over here! I can see the harbor!"

And then, Jiraiya vanished, the moonlight vanished, and all went dark. Wait, why did the moon disappear. Naruto looked up, and saw the last white of the full moon vanish. And it wasn't only the moon; the stars all disappeared as if someone was drawing a blanket over the sky. And then, as if someone turned the volume up, he heard a roar. The roar of water.

The roar of a rogue wave.

"RUN!!!" Jiraiya roared, but Naruto couldn't move. He remembered his feeling. The demon brothers; giant steel claws ready to tear him to bits. Fear gripping him, death staring him deeply in the eye. Why couldn't he move? He swore he wouldn't freeze up ever again. So why? Why wouldn't his legs move? Why could he only stare at the wall of water? Why?

But he never had time to answer it. Before Jiraiya could rescue him, before he could regain control of his legs, before he could find out why, the wave took him; him and the entire ship.

* * *

Pain. Horrible, horrible pain. How long had he been conscious? How long had it been since he washed ashore? He couldn't remember anything. It could've been a minute, it could've been a month; he didn't know. He'd lost track of time a long time ago.

It felt like when Sasuke had stabbed him with Chidori all over again, only this time, the pain wasn't just in his chest. It was worse than being Granny Tsunade's punching bag. The pain was almost beyond bearable. Breathing felt like swallowing serrated knives, and every time his heart beat, he felt like he was going to explode.

But really, he should be thankful for the pain. Sure, an arm or two may be broken, but they were still there, right? He could feel all his fingers aching for relief, all his toes begging to be put out of their misery. His neck, wishing to have its nerves fried so as to end the torment. And even though his head felt like it had been split open, he was whole; he was alive.

Naruto reached up with one arm, fighting the pain as best he could, and groped for anything that he could grab. But his hand only felt sand. For a moment, he got the wild idea that Gaara had rescued him like he head Lee, but that couldn't be true. The gentle waves lapping up on his legs told him that much. Oh well, at least he was on land. But that didn't mean he was safe. If the tide rose, he didn't have the energy to climb to higher grounds.

Was this Water Country? The land of the Bloody Mist? If they found him, what would they do? Would they kick him? Rob him of his valuables and leave him? Or would they make it a game, seeing who could do the most damage without killing him? That was the impression that Zabuza had left with him.

But wait…most of Water Country was steep coasts, right? That's what Jiraiya had said. But this didn't feel steep. In fact, it felt fairly flat. And the sand was very fine. He couldn't even feel a rock (which was good. The last thing he needed was a rock sticking into his gut). Naruto released the tension in his arm, giving up on moving for the time.

Jiraiya? Would Jiraiya rescue him? And what about everyone else aboard the ship? Did they survive? The old man was out there on the deck with him. Could he be around?

For an instant, Naruto cracked open an eye, accepting the black spots and lightning pain that shot through him as he did. He immediately closed it. It was too bright. He tried again, slowly, letting his eye adjust, and took a quick peek around. The beach was perfectly clear; this wasn't the Water Country. Tilting his head the other way, he briefly skimmed the other side. Sure enough, no Pervy Sage. No boat. No one.

Disheartened, his eyes dropped, and unable to fight the blackness, he drifted into unconsciousness once more, embraced by the emptiness of being infinitely alone.

* * *

"-at did you find?"

What? Who was that? Pervy Sage?

"Take a look"

No, his voice was too high. Then who was it?

"It's a boy."

Him? They were talking about him?

Footsteps. They were coming towards him. Three? Or was it six? The footsteps seemed to echo.

"Him, sir."

The footsteps stopped.

"Are there any fishing boats missing?"

"No, sir. Headquarters says all ships are accounted for."

They didn't sound like bloodthirsty ninjas.

"Could he have crossed the Storm Ring?"

Storm Ring? What was that?

"Possibly, sir."

"Check him."

Naruto felt a pair of gloved hands grab his side and flip him onto his back. He felt his head forcibly tilt back. "He's breathing." The hand moved from his chin to the side of his neck. "I've got a pulse." They moved again, and whatever remained of his shirt was ripped open. Then the hands stopped.

"What is it?"

"…No serious injuries, sir, but…look at this."

Naruto cracked open his eyes, just in time to see a man walk in front of him. While his blue suit and pale green neckerchief weren't something he'd ever seen in Konoha, and he'd certainly never stared at a large black piece of metal quite like the one this guy carried, that helmet with three glowing eyes of red light made him seem almost inhuman. If it wasn't for the jaw that protruded from beneath the three glowing red eyes, he would've thought it was some sort of monster. And then, he saw where the eyes were looking.

The man was looking at his seal.

"That's no ordinary tattoo. Know what it is?"

"…No…but I know who can find out."

One of the men sigh. "Not him."

"They've ordered we bring all strange phenomena to them for experimentation and classification. Get him on the next ship to Midgar. Contact the Turks."

"You're sending him to Hojo?"

Was that a bad thing?

"Science Department."

"Same thing." One of the men laughed. "Ah man, I gotta feel sorry for the guy."

"Well, if we don't and he finds out, we'll have more to worry about than guard duty."

One of the men gulped. Yeah, it must be bad.

Naruto felt one of the men pick him up and hold him in his arms. He twisted his head as gently as he could and stared as a second triclops helmet came into view. So it was a uniform, or something? Was this some kind of military? "Hmm…he's consciousness. Captain, look at this."

The 'captain' walked up to him and parted Naruto's eyelids. "Can you speak?" Naruto tested his vocal chords, but his voice box refused to make anything more than the smallest squeak. "I see…"

"Don't you have a restore, Captain?"

"Not on me. Seal will have to do."

The man's arm began to glow green. Was Naruto imagining it? Not that he had time to tell. His eyes were suddenly unbearabluy head, and everything became blurry. The pain was suddenly replaced by a warmth, the same warmth one recieved when they drank hot cocoa after playing in the snow all day long. Moments later, his eyes closed, and he sighed as he entered the world of dreams once more.

* * *

**A/N: **Review, please?


	2. Rude Awakening

Naruto couldn't tell what was real anymore. For longer than he could remember, his memory was like an unorganized clutter of highlights. One moment, he would be with Team Seven, Sasuke and all, sitting in the park on their day off. No missions, no hard work, no hateful glares (aside from when he stole Sasuke's rice balls). The scene changed, and he was sitting on a cold hard table surrounded by men in white lab coats, staring at him with either indifference or fascination, but nothing one would show an ordinary human. The next, he'd be at a festival with all his friends. Oh look! He just won that damn fish catching game! Hooray! Then he was in a strange tube, drowned in a strange glowing greenish-blue liquid. It was warm, soothing really, but just when he felt completely at ease, he looked out the window, where a man now stood wearing glasses with eyes full of curiosity, overflowing into the space unoccupied by morals. One look seemed to last a lifetime, as if they had become a photograph. When would they move forward? When would he go away? He wanted out…he wanted out! He wanted out right now!

But there was no escape. Unfortunately, those were the scenes that were real.

Naruto stared at the swirling liquid. It wasn't water; this stuff he could breathe. He could tell he hadn't eaten since they brought him here, but he wasn't hungry. This strange tube, filled with an unknown liquid, seemed to fulfill his every need. He felt like an infant inside the womb without a care in the world.

Well, until he opened his eyes. Those people in white coats, whom he began to call ghosts, still walked around, pencils dancing over clipboards. But that he could handle. Aside from the occasional stare, the ghosts wouldn't pay him any real mind. They were too busy with their papers. It was actually quite fun to watch them scamper outside from his warm tube. But when ghost with the eyes came, he became an animal in a zoo, and this was the brat that rattled his cage.

There were times when he was alert enough to hear their conversations, and on very rare occasions he could even understand their words. But the words 'Mako', 'Shinra', and 'Midgar' held no significance with him. He just chalked it up as ghost talk. However, words like 'soldier', 'experiment' and 'test subject' seemed to be very important. But he never felt like putting them together. What the ghosts did was their own damn business.

Oh, look! Here comes the Crazy-Eyed Ghost! How long would he stay today? A minute? An hour? All day long? Not that Naruto could tell. Every time he came, it seemed to last an eternity.

Shutting his eyes, he found the Crazy-Eyed Ghost had somehow made his way inside his eyelids. Did the Crazy-Eyed Ghost know Genjutsu?

Naruto began praying for that scene change. Perhaps one involving a Crazy-Eyed Ghost getting run over by a train…facing away from him, of course.

* * *

Naruto awoke to an odd scent. It was fresh and clean, which meant it wasn't anything he'd have. Naruto moved his head, and found that it rubbed against some kind of soft fabric. Was this silk? It seemed to be. He'd seen silk before; Sakura had worn a silk kimono on a holiday, back when her hair was still long. She hadn't even noticed the nice orange robe he was wearing, but to this day she could tell you that there were seven grey lilies on Sasuke's midnight-blue yukata.

Hold on, no time for reminiscing. He opened his eyes, and found himself staring into a soft pillow. He turned his eyes to the side and gazed at the steel wall. The room was dimly lit by an eerie greenish-blue light, creating a rather unwelcoming atmosphere. Like a child pulled out of bed, he found himself wishing he was back in the tube.

Naruto threw off the covers to find himself covered with nothing but a pair of white shorts. On a positive note, his clothes were the only things missing. He tilted his head to the side and spotted another bed, which had a cupboard above it. Naruto lifted his limbs and flexed his muscles, refusing to trust them without confirmation that he was in better shape than when he washed up on the beach. With his amateur self-checkup completed, he hopped out of bed and over to the cupboard.

Opening it, he found an odd black uniform. Thick, sleeveless black turtleneck, check; loose black pants, check; large black combat boots, check; torn brown gloves, check; two black guards for the shoulders, check; and one very odd looking belt, check. And if it couldn't get any worse, they were all in adult large!

Grumbling about the lack of any orange jumpsuits, Naruto grabbed the shirt and pants. He refused to wear the boots (he tried wearing them once in Konoha; the blisters were never forgotten), the gloves looked like they were about ready to fall apart, the guards looked like a pain to wear, and that belt looked like it could fit around him twice.

He had the pants on, folding the bottoms up as far as they could go, and had just pulled his head through the giant turtleneck when an odd swooshing sound shattered the tranquil sound of ruffling cloth. In an instant, the room was illuminated with familiar, artificial light.

Naruto whirled around, ignoring the sensation of his oversized clothes rippling around him from the force. However, given that this was the first time he had to deal with fluorescent light in god knows how long, his eyes shut upon meeting the evil rays as his hand flew up to shield them, much like how a hermit crab retreats into its shell and barricades the entrance. He heard footsteps enter what had been his resting place; a single set made by a lone intruder. With another swooshing sound the lights vanished once more.

Naruto opened his eyes, gazing upon the man illuminated in the colored light. It took him one look in the eyes to recognize the man: the Crazy-Eyed Ghost.

The man held out his hand and groped for where Naruto was standing. With the reflexes built in from years of ninja training, Naruto leapt back right before the hand made contact, landing lightly on his feet.

"Oh, you can see…" The man placed his hands behind his back.

See? Of course he could see. It may be dimmer than one would like, and the color may be a bit off, but there was definitely enough light to see.

Naruto tried to decipher the odd man's words before said odd man decided to help the poor boy find the answer.

He flicked the switch labeled 'lights'.

Naruto seethed as bright light once more illuminated the room from above. Naruto's hand raised itself to defend his vulnerable eyes, but found its efforts wasted as the lights flickered out with the flip of a switch. Naruto opened his eyes again and stared at the dull lights.

Wait, no lights. Then why was everything still illuminated with that odd color. Naruto spun around, craning his eyes in every direction to spot the source of the light.

Naruto slowly turned back to the man who's eyes were mad with glee as if he were a (very very strange) child who just woke up to find that his wildest dream had come true, though what that dream was he didn't want to know. Well, perhaps that was a little extreme, but the raw joy filling his eyes held a sense of ominous foreboding, telling Naruto that whatever was making this man so happy wouldn't do the same for him.

The man lit the flashlight and held it up to his face, his steady hand keeping the light perfectly still. Naruto closed his eyes for the umpteenth time that day, cursing whatever god had it out for him. "Open." The man demanded. Naruto cursed as the man grabbed his eyelid and peeled it back. He didn't fight back; he didn't want to touch any more of this guy than he had to.

"Hmm…yes, yes, I see…aha…perhaps another dose…no, no, there's quite enough, but perhaps…hmm…I suppose this will do."

Wait, did he just make any sense?

"Where is your country of origin?"

"Why should I answer-?!"

"The sooner you do, the sooner I leave." Naruto sighed. Was what he wanted that obvious? Well, if it would get him out…what could happen?

Naruto met his gaze, waiting for the colored dots popping in and out of his vision to cease fire. "Uhh…Fire Country."

"City?"

"Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"Occupation?"

"Ninja, uh…Genin level."

"Is that high?"

"Well, no, but-"

The man raised his hand to his chin while turning his gaze to the side, stroking his chin in a thinking motion. "Hmm…perhaps I miscalculated."

Naruto blanked. "Wait, miscal-"

"I didn't expect you to be so weak."

Naruto's eyes sharpened. Now normally, Naruto didn't give much of a damn about what random people thought of him. Years of nasty glares taught him to just ignore everyone's stupid comments. But something about this guy made him mad. Something about this guy made him boil over with rage. He hated this guy. He hadn't spoken a complete sentence to him, and he hated this guy. This guy knew nothing, and yet he had the gall to call him weak?! He would _not_ let him get away with that.

Taking in a giant breath, he stared straight into the man's eyes as he turned and shouted "Two months ago, I fought a demon and won!"

The man's eyes didn't change. Then again, they hadn't changed since he came in. They still held the same wonder as before: the wonder of a madman. But one thing did change.

He grinned.

"Now tell me, just how did you get that mark on your stomach?"

Naruto felt the demon's rage boil inside him. He could almost hear the fox's voice: kill him, maim him, tear him apart! Crush him with gravel, burn him with fire, and toss him to the deepest circle of hell! But he ignored that incessant screeching. It was only the months of practice had helped him tone out the demonic wails for blood.

But that didn't mean he wasn't pissed. Everytime he'd tried to ask a question, every time he tried to understand, the man would cast his curiousity aside. In fact, the only time he seemed to notice him was when he answered his questions. If something didn't spark his interest in the outside world, his eyes were just for show, as if he were just putting up an act portraying the most observant man in the world while he secluded his mind to the twisted world inside his head.

Right now, Naruto had a million questions he wanted to ask. Expected rather, considering his current situation. But if it meant asking this guy for help, he wouldn't do it. Anyone but him. He'd take that snake freak Orochimaru over him. Anyone, anyone but him.

"Get out. Now." Naruto spoke, lacing his words with so much venom that he could hardly recognize his voice.

The man stared into his eyes once more, nodding in approval. "Testosterone levels: adequate. Will has remained intact. Perfect. Oh, just perfect!"

Naruto's rage vanished like a cup of ramen before him as his facial muscles resumed the much-practiced confused muscle configuration. So did that mean this guy wanted him to shout the entire time?

Not that he could ask, even if he wanted to. The man had already opened the door. Naruto blinked shut, but found that he was finally able to squint through his eyelids and allow some of the fluorescent rays into his eyes. Naruto watched as the odd man walked through the doorway, greeted by a man dressed in an identical outfit that he was currently exhibiting. Only, in his case, it actually fit.

"You done, Hojo?" The man asked in a bored tone.

"Take care of him." This 'Hojo' said before muttered something to himself as he left.

The man rubbed the back of his neck in a tired motion, shuffling into the room. What Naruto found odd, however, was that instead of a youthful face to match the man's young adult voice, he found that only his lower jaw was visible, the rest being encased within a war helmet that seemed to have a crest that jutted out into a horn in the front. At his back was a rather plain broadsword with a re-curved guard, easily reaching a total length of four feet.

The man flicked on the lights and dropped a bag he was carrying, sighing as he sat on his bed. "Hojo, huh? You must really be something to get that guy grinning."

Naruto stared at the man, opting to stand instead of sit on the welcoming bed.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" He reached up and tapped his helmet. "Oh, I guess I do." He laughed.

Naruto was feeling rather conflicted at the moment. If he met him in Konoha, he'd clap him on the back, laugh it off, and celebrate their greeting in true Uzumaki style: all-you-can-eat Ichiraku ramen.

But this wasn't Konoha.

The man lowered his hand and turned to Naruto, who was standing in the back corner of the room. "You're not from around here, yeah? The elites told me to give you the grand tour, so let's have at it." The man said leaping to his feet.

"…" Naruto said nothing, still on the defensive.

Noticing his abstain from joining the conversation, the man walked up to him casually and held out his hand. "I'm Kunsel: SOLDIER, 1st class. I already know your name, Mr. Naruto Uzumaki."

Now _that_ caught Naruto by surprise. If they knew his name, then someone who knows him must be here!

"Who told you that?!" Naruto shouted excitedly.

Kunsel grabbed the bag he'd dropped earlier and took out a beaten frog-shaped pouch. "We found some I.D."

And Naruto's hope for rescue dropped like a rock in freefall.

Kunsel also reached into the bag and pulled out the remains of his once vibrant orange jumpsuit. It now looked like Tenten had used it for target practice…all day long…

"We found you in these, but they're beyond repair now. You must've been trapped in the water for a long time; all sorts of little critters had begun making their homes inside the fibers."

Naruto grabbed the tattered remains of his signature outfit. But it wasn't necessarily the outfit that worried him. He had ten more back home. No, the jumpsuit wasn't what worried him.

Naruto grabbed the bag at Kunsel's feet and started digging through it. He threw out his old ninja pouch letting the contents spill onto the floor as it hit the ground. He threw aside an odd blue garment, followed by another, both the boots, a strange belt, some black pads, and the piece of metal. It smashed against the wall and the dull thunk echoed around the room, but Naruto didn't seem to hear it.

It was gone. His precious items were gone.

Before they'd left, Jiraiya had told him to put everything precious to him in a small sack and keep it hidden inside his clothes. It held the necklace Tsunade had given him, a picture of team Seven, and the headband Iruka had awarded him on the day he became a ninja.

Naruto whirled around, glaring at Kunsel, before launching himself at him. He threw his arm back, putting all his energy into his fist, and threw it at the man with everything he had.

Kunsel easily caught it with his hand.

"Whoa there, settle down." He said nonchalantly letting go of the fist.

Naruto staggered back, dropping on the bed. It couldn't be. He'd put everything into that punch. That was the same punch that sent Sasuke flying in the Valley of the End! How could this guy block it?!

"Hey, look: don't go doing that when we're outside, alright? You're in SOLDIER now. Don't act like a brat, ya hear?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Where is it?"

Kunsel raised a hand to his chin, before snapping in a moment of realization. "Oh, you mean that pouch? Don't worry. You'll get it back soon. They're just analyzing it, is all. Usually it all comes back in one piece.

Naruto prayed that the word 'usually' was meant to be a joke. Whatever. At least it was still here. He didn't like it, but he'd be patient for now. Throwing a giant fit wouldn't do any good against such a strong guy. Allowing his mind to wander away from the pouch, he remembered what Kunsel had just said.

"Wait, SOLDIER?"

Kunsel blanked. "Yes…SOLDIER. You are in it." He stated as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Naruto's face was more barren of understanding than the Aburame house of bugspray. "…What's SOLDIER?"

"…You're kidding me."

Oh how he wish he was.

Kunsel sighed. "Where are you from? One of those backwater towns? Gongaga? Nibelhiem?" Naruto shook his head. "Then where?"

"Konoha."

"…What?"

"Konoha! You know, the hidden ninja village of the Land of Fire?"

Kunsel's face was now as confused as Naruto's (or at least, his jaw was).

"…Kid, there's no hidden ninja villages in all of Gaia." Kunsel said, then added "Well, Wutai is a ninja village, but it's hardly hidden…"

Naruto had had the feeling for a long time, ever since he washed up on the shore. But now, hearing the words for himself, he began to understand just how far from home he was.

Kunsel tapped his chin. "Well I didn't believe it but…maybe you came through the Storm Ring after all…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Storm Ring?" He'd heard that before…the triclops!

Kunsel grabbed Naruto's shoulder, sighing. "Let's just start the tour. I'll tell you everything you need to know."

Naruto felt himself pulled to his feet. Kunsel pointed to the clothing scattered along the floor. "My spare uniform's a little big on you." Naruto blushed in embarrassment. "That one you threw all over the place is yours. Put it on and meet me outside." Kunsel said before walking out the door, letting it close behind him.

* * *

Naruto strode down the long steel corridor of steel plates and tiles, all giving off a strange bluish glow. Kunsel walked at his side, humming a tune as they strode down the corridor.

Naruto was equipped with a uniform very similar to Kunsel. However, instead of the solid black that clothed Kunsel from shoulder to toe, he was wearing a uniform was an odd blend of sky and ocean blue, both mixing together to get a shade somewhere in the middle. Compared to his loose orange jumpsuit, this was a much closer fit, as if it had been specifically tailored just for him. Of course, the zip-up boots were far from a welcome addition to his wardrobe, and the shoulder guards were a little annoying when they'd bump against his cheek when he raised his arm, but that wasn't the worst of it.

The belt! Or rather belts! Two secured his pants in place, while a large brown one with a logo on the front wrapped around his torso with straps going over his shoulder. Kunsel had to help him get it right; he almost managed to turn himself into a human knot in his solo attempt. And the helmet was so annoying! Sure the crest was see-through, but that wasn't the problem. He had an itch and he couldn't scratch it!

Naruto fumed as he rocked his helmet back and forth, praying the inner lining would do to silence his skin aching for relief. As he settled his helmet back into position, he began to take note of all the other people in the hall. Several of them were dressed in uniforms similar to him, while others had uniforms that were deep purple with a hint of red, and even a few who wore black like Kunsel. Everyone else went out of their way to move aside and leave their paths unobstructed. Some even wore additional clothing and accessories on their uniforms, and almost none of them wore the helmet.

Looking around, he noticed that several of these men were staring at him. Naruto was fairly certain why. No one here looked like they were under sixteen, and yet here he was, a twelve-year-old walking through their halls in their uniform. He was used to stares. He had to, what with a demon living inside his belly. But in this alien environment, Naruto couldn't help but notice a tight sensation in his stomach as he made his way with Kunsel.

Kunsel stopped as they reached the end of the hall. "This is the SOLDIER lounge. Go ahead, check it out."

Kunsel nodded, and Naruto immediately strode up to a giant wall of glass. He noted several other sliding doors marked 'Training Room', 'Materia Room', and 'Briefing Room' from across the hall, but chose not to enter them. He still found it quite disturbing to see doors moving on their own.

Naruto pressed his face to the glass, staring through at the other side of the lounge. Naruto's mouth dropped as his eyes told him that he wasn't only able to see to the other side of the lounge, but that the area behind the glass just went down, and down, and down…just how high up was SOLDIER?!

Kunsel walked up to him and looked down. "Wanna know what floor we're on?" Naruto nodded, rubbing his forehead against the glass. "Forty-ninth."

Naruto tried to count the planes of glass as they descended, but kept losing count as they got thinner and thinner. It was like staring down a stack of bricks and counting.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested and excited about this new experience. He'd always traveled as a ninja, and he'd loved it. He had been excited leaving the village for the first time, even if he'd had to defend some drunk along the way. He'd been excited about traveling with Jiraiya to train, even if it meant leaving everything else he loved. So yes, he was joyous and excited about this land. But that childish anticipation was overshadowed by something greater; something that pressed against his chest, and made his knees quiver.

Fear. Fear that he would never see them again. Fear that this time, he wouldn't be coming home.

"Tell me…"

Kunsel tilted his head. "What?"

"Everything."

Kunsel threw his hands behind his head. This was gonna be a long day. "Okay…let's start with Shinra. It's officially an electric power company, but it's pretty obvious that it's the world government. They're the army, the power, the manufacturers, etcetera etcetera. Shinra makes just about everything. It's presence can be felt all over the world."

Naruto could tell Kunsel was doing his best to make it interesting, but it just came off as rather dull. But it was short, and to the point. Better than those long lectures they used to give in the academy. Many were ninety minutes long, of which he'd usually sleep through eighty. It was If he knew one jutsu for every time he was slapped awake, he'd be the Hokage by now! No, not fun at all.

But Kunsel was rather easy to understand. Dull as it may be he gave him the whole picture in a few sentences; well before Naruto lost consciousness. So Shinra made everything, and they ruled the world. Easy enough. But what was this about SOLDIER?

"The army is comprised of several departments. There's the grunts, robotics, the basic police force, the Turks, and SOLDIER. The grunts perform most operations and make up most of the force. The robotics section is made up of machines, for both combat and peacetime usage. The police force protects Midgar and its people on a regular basis. The Turks are the intelligence and special ops team, but they're also engaged in some dirty work no one knows about. And finally, SOLDIER."

"SOLDIER is the elite fighting force of Shinra. It's divided into three classes: third, second, and first, color-coded to signify rank. You've probably figured that out already, though. Our uniform may look like ordinary clothes, but it's tough as nails and will stand up to powerful attacks without tearing."

"And…why am I wearing it?"

Kunsel shot him an 'are you an idiot?' glare beneath his helmet. "You're in it. Duh."

"And when was this decided?!" Naruto asked.

"Are you complaining?"

Naruto deadpanned. "No, I'm not complaining. Not at all. Everything's fine with me. I just got lost at sea, put in a tube for who knows how long, questioned by a man without sanity, told I just joined the army, and still have no idea where the hell I am. Nothing big, right? OF COURSE I'M COMPLAINING, YOU MORON!!!"

Kunsel wiped some spit off his jaw and helmet. He'd been told by his superiors he'd be mentoring a promising recruit. They were right. If they magnified his screech, the enemies would drop their weapons before you could say 'mako cannon'.

"Well, you're in, so get used to it. Can't change that, now can we? Wait, don't shout! I can still help with the where!"

Naruto glared. "Fine. Where are we?"

Kunsel pointed to a window at the far end of the hall, behind a small lounge. Of course, there wasn't much to see, unless you had a thing for dark, dark skies. "Go there, and look down."

Naruto began to stride over to the small corner of the lounge. He was getting a little tired of this ghostly hue that seemed to fill the room. He didn't like it. It brought back memories of the phenomena of the dark room. He'd been able to see in the dark. Why? There wasn't a light source, and all areas in the room had been evenly lit. Maybe what he saw was a night light system. But that didn't make sense; Hojo wouldn't have remarked about his sight otherwise. Everything about that world of vision seemed so abnormal.

But then again, everything in this world was abnormal. Doors that moved at the touch of a button, tubes filled with liquid that he could breathe, and buildings that ascended to the heavens themselves. Naruto couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed. In Konoha, a four-story building was rare, and five-story buildings numbered in the single digits. Something ten times that was unheard of, even in all but the wildest architect's dreams. And even wilder, he wasn't sure this was the top floor.

Naruto's train of thought came to an abrupt halt as he neared the window. For the most part, it was much the same blackness he'd seen from afar, but as he approached, his change in perspective brought something forth from the bottom of the window: A flash of steel in the distance, illuminated by the strange glow.

The metal managed to catch his interest, and Naruto ran past the other personnel on the floor to reach the window. However, as more of the blackness was replaced with color, the more his brain began to freeze. His muscles, moving from memory alone, carried him to the front of the plane of glass. They stopped when his face was just at the edge. Looking out now, he saw more than just a flash of steel.

What he saw was beyond anything he'd ever seen before.

Domes. Large domes, each connected by a giant steel wall. The domes radiated large plumes of gas that rose up beyond his sight into the black sky. Below he saw the innumerable buildings making up the city contained within the giant walls. From this height it looked like a giant patch of carpet, shaded with the same strange glow as everything else.

Kunsel sat down on a bench behind him. "Midgar, the de-facto capital of the world. Built on a plate above the ground and supported by several pillars, this city is literally in the skies. It's the symbol of the modern age: the symbol of our future."

Naruto regained control over his muscles and closed his jaw. He'd learned about several ninja lands when he was in school. Sure, he'd slept through most of it, but he'd have known if there was ever a city like this. The Land of Rain had some tall buildings, but nothing like this. Nothing like this existed in the land of ninjas. So where was he?

"I've never heard of anything like this…" He muttered.

"Really? Everyone knows about Shinra these days. You really must be from across the Storm Ring…"

Naruto's eyes flashed. He remembered that name. Kunsel mentioned it only a half hour ago. The soldiers who rescued him said the same thing. The Storm Ring. That had to be it!

Naruto whirled around and asked "What is the Storm Ring?!"

Kunsel raised an eyebrow. "The Storm Ring?" Kunsel crossed his arms, assuming a lecturing stance. "It's just what it sounds like: a storm that forms a ring around the planet. It forms at both poles, creating violent torrents of water and deadly winds in one ring around the planet. The closer they are to the poles, the stronger and wider the storms are. _But_, this makes the equator the weakest and thinnest part of the Storm Ring."

Naruto was reminded of Jiboro and his earth dome. It was weakest in the back, where his chakra was weaker. There were two points, in this case: the two poles. Still, same principle.

"So, is that how I got here?"

"That's what everyone's saying. Still, it's a miracle you survived. There have been others who passed through the Storm Ring. You're the first recorded survivor to pass three days."

Naruto felt a chill run down his spine. "So…can I go back?"

Kunsel stared at him for a moment. The kid put up a hard front, but his eyes betrayed him. They were shaking, ready to break like glass. A single bead of sweat ran down his cheek, falling to his chin, and onto the floor. He was desparate. Desparate for hope. Hope that he could go home. Kunsel hated being the one to destroy it.

"No."

And with one word, Naruto felt something shatter deep within his soul.

"It's a miracle you survived the first time. A second…that's unheard of. We can't-wait, Naruto!"

Kunsel's words fell on deaf ears as Naruto ran. He was probably crying, seeing as his vision was distorting the further he went. Where was he going? He didn't know where; he didn't know anything anymore. The crippling pain inside his chest had been replaced by an infinite emptiness that he thought could never be filled. Everything had been taken from him. Everything…

And now, he had nothing left.

* * *

Naruto lay on his bed wearing the tattered remains of his once warm and vibrant orange jumpsuit. The clothes Kunsel had brought him lay on the floor. Naruto himself lay on the bed in the fetal position for warmth. He gingerly stroked his knuckles which were covered in blood.

The room was covered with blood and various dents he'd made in the steel. Small as they were, it was a marvel that he'd made them in such a solid substance. Naruto couldn't remember much, only returning to his room and sobbing, before breaking out in a wild rage. He'd fought the steel as if it was the only thing separating him from going home. Of course, there was the door, but he already knew that didn't lead to home. Maybe that was why it was the only sheet of steel that wasn't bent or bloody.

He'd never see them again. He'd never eat ramen with Iruka after a mission. He'd never smile as Tsunade handed him the Hokage hat. He'd never see Kakashi's real face. He'd never get turned down by Sakura again. He'd never bring Sasuke home. But most of all, he wouldn't be there. They would live together, they would laugh together, and they would die together. But not him.

_He wouldn't be there._

Naruto stroked his knuckles as he stared at the empty wall. The lights were out, but he could still see. He'd made sure to punch all the lights to make sure. But now it made sense: he could see. He wasn't just stronger; his eyes worked in the dark.

Naruto heard the door open. He kept his back to the door and feigned sleep to fool the intruder from entering. He expected the intruder to turn on the lights and scream or something when they saw the damage. But the lights never went on. This guy must be able to see in the dark too.

He heard slow footsteps approach his bed. They stopped just at the edge. He heard a sigh. Kunsel.

Kunsel dropped something beside Naruto and pulled the covers up over the boy as softly and smoothly as he could, before he strode to his bed and flopped down on it without a word. Naruto heard him drop his helmet to the floor, ruffle the sheets, and heard no more.

Naruto broke his attention from his hands to the item Kunsel had brought. It was a small sack; one that parents would buy for their children at museums to load up with cool rocks. Naruto was hesitant, but decided to inspect the sack's contents.

Naruto grabbed the small pouch and dragged it closer to him, keeping as quiet as possible. It was obviously made of cheap material. Loose strings sprang out from several low quality stitches. It had obviously been used before. Naruto opened the pouch and upended the contents.

Out poured his headband, his necklace, and his picture of Team Seven.

The moment they hit the bed Naruto lashed out and grabbed them, inspecting them for even the smallest hint of damage. He didn't have to look hard. The headband had several new scratches and the cloth was full of holes, just like his jumpsuit. The necklace was hanging by a thread. It was lucky to have made the trip. The picture was in a frame he'd put it in before he'd left, but it was cracked. The picture underneath, however, remained unharmed.

Naruto smiled as his new night vision allowed him to make out the image through the cracks. Kakashi and Sakura were still smiling, and him and Sasuke were still scowling. Frozen in time, Team Seven was immortal.

Naruto lifted a bloodied hand and gathered his chakra, forming a glowing Rasengan in his palm. He didn't know why, but it felt so natural, so easy to do. He remembered how the old man had taught it to him, teased him with the most obscure clues, and made him earn it himself. Jiraiya believed in him, and would believe that he was alive, and someday, he'd come home.

Even now, they were all with him. Even across the circle of storms, the bond he had forged with those people would connect them forever.

If he did nothing, then yes, he'd never get home. If he stayed curled up in this bed, punching the walls until his hands were bloodied and bruised, then this is all he'd know, and he would never move forward. But he wouldn't stand still. He was never the type to take something sitting down. He'd charge right into the ring if he had to. He would stand up and meet this challenge head-on, like the knucklehead he was.

Naruto spun his body around to look at Kunsel, whose back was turned to him.

"Kunsel." He whispered. "They want me in SOLDIER, right? Well, I plan on going home someday no matter what they say. So when I decide to head back into the storm, you better not stop me, ya hear?"

Kunsel didn't move. Naruto stared at his back intently for a moment, waiting for a response.

"0600, get ready for hell, newbie."

Naruto said nothing. He laid back in bed and felt as if a large knot inside his chest had untangled, leaving him relaxed and at peace. The sudden euphoria he felt almost made him feel weightless, especially compared to how heavy he felt before. Starting here in SOLDIER, one day he would go home. Even if it took a hundred years, he would find his way home.

For the first time since he was washed away, Naruto had a calm peaceful sleep.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, today is April 16. Today is the day those lucky Japanese bastards get FFVII:AC Complete! Meanwhile, we must wait for the fansubs…or June 7, whichever comes faster. It's gonna be a long wait.

My thanks to all those who reviewed the first chapter. I'll try to set a steady pace for the future.

Please review.


	3. Scars

**A/N:** This chapter has been Betaed by Mirror and Image. Many thanks for your help.

* * *

"Hey Whiskers! Keep your guard up!" Kunsel shouted.

Naruto grunted as the Shinra guard holograms charged at him once more. He heard the cocking of a gun from behind and ducked as the guard let loose. One bullet grazed his shoulder; he covered the wound with his left hand as he grit his teeth in pain. Thank god this was all one big holographic illusion.

The blonde gripped his broadsword with his right hand and spun around while snapping his left hand at his opponent, flinging red blood into their eyes. He leapt over him and made a single cut from head to toe, leaving only six grunts standing.

Leaping to the side and into the air to avoid gunfire, he flipped and cut down another as he landed. Five.

Twisting his blade before it hit the ground, he swung to the side and decapitated another in one clean cut. Four.

Naruto began gathering his energy into the blade, into the fire materia he had equipped. Bringing his hand to his face in intense concentration, he thrust his palm at his opponent hurling a fireball at the unfortunate grunt at the end of the room, letting him sizzle. Three.

The remaining grunts formed a large triangle around him: the perfect formation for elimination. Gripping his sword once more he leapt into the air as they fired. He bounded along the ceiling and lunged at the closest guard before he finished adjusting his aim and ran his blade right through him. Two.

Naruto grabbed the infantryman's rifle and fired at the first guard he saw without aiming. The guard ran to the side, easily avoiding the clumsy gunmanship. Cursing, Naruto gasped as two more bullets pierced his thigh and lower torso. Naruto grabbed the rifle and took careful aim as the grunt reloaded and squeezed the trigger, filling the infantryman with lead. Falling to his knees, he coughed blood as the virtual pain finally took its toll. Gasping for breath as the red pool beneath him continued to grow, he never heard the sound of a rifle behind his head.

One.

* * *

Naruto exited the training room with a nasty scowl as he wiped away the sweat coating his body. Kunsel's grin visible under the opening of his helmet didn't make it any better. Tossing the training goggles to the side, he growled as he punched the wall. Ten gunmen. He'd just fought ten gunmen, and was one away from victory. He was cheated, damnit!

Well, it wasn't like failure was anything new to him. On his first day of training, Kunsel had thrown him into the chamber and had him fight a single grunt. He thought it would be easy. _Thought_. But Kunsel had "forgotten" to tell him what a gun was, and what it did.

The grunt turned him into swiss cheese.

It took him three months to learn how to beat the gunmen. Three months of (virtual) blood, sweat and tears. It took him three months just to learn how to dodge a few cones in the air! But oh, did he savor plunging his sword into his first virtual grunt. Did he _ever_! But then, Kunsel had raised it to two. Then three. And six months after he'd joined, he was finally up to ten!

Kunsel threw his head back and laughed. "Aw man, you almost had him that time!"

Naruto sulked. "Shut up."

"Hey, cheer up. You're setting records, you know."

"Hmph. Yeah, ignoring Sephiroth."

"Obviously." The young Third sighed. The legendary Sephiroth. He could only dream of getting anywhere near his level. Being privileged with the mentorship of a First Class, he was permitted to view much of Sephiroth's training recordings. And he thought Kakashi had been strong!

But Kunsel just grinned. "Hey, Whiskers, don't go frowning! You're headed for the top, you hear me? The top!"

Kunsel raised his finger and pointed towards the sky. "So shout to the heavens so they know you're on your way!"

Naruto scoffed. He'd been saying that ever since his first day of training. It was supposed to be a motivational speech, of sorts. But it did always lighten the heavy mood. It wasn't like this was all Kunsel would say to get him pumped. He always had a pep-up speech in his pocket. After spending six months under his tutelage, he quickly found Kunsel to be a fun-loving, easy-going guy; much more so than the other Firsts; maybe that's why he was chosen to train such a rare case.

Naruto sat down on the counter and twirled his sword at his side. "Alright, I'll try again tomorrow. What's next? Swordplay?"

"Nope. Mission."

Blue eyes rolled. The Third Class missions were the pits; right down there with D-rank ninja missions. He preferred the afternoon sword and materia lessons Kunsel gave him when he was on base; much more interesting than Third Class missions. "This isn't another stupid parade, is it?"

The elder SOLDIER smirked. "Oh no. Much, much better."

Naruto's eyes flashed. Kunsel only talked about missions like this when they were big. There'd only been two so far: crowd control for some famous pretty-boy singer (sponsored by Shinra, or course) and a large-scale monster extermination operation. For most missions, he'd just hand him the file and tell him to bring a book for when he got bored. The last one he brought had been a good read. It was a little book he picked up about a moogle named Chuu and his struggles growing up without wings. Wait, back on topic. "Something big?"

"There's a small rebellious group currently hiding in Sector Eight. We're taking it down."

At the word 'rebellion', lightning shot through his spine. "AVALANCHE? They're sending me after AVALANCHE?!"

His mentor knocked him in the head. "Whiskers, Whiskers, Whiskers. You think they'd send a little fish like you into the lion's den?"

Naruto's newly developed tact just barely kept him in check. Sighing, he laced his fingers behind his head as he leaned back on the counter. "Fine, but a rebellion's a rebellion, right? Is it just you and me?"

Kunsel shook his head. "No, there're two more. Let's get the introductions out of the way, shall we?"

He nodded and followed Kunsel out of the training room. Admittedly, he wasn't entirely comfortable with other people on the mission. Up until now, crowd control and the mass monster extermination was the only mission where someone other than Kunsel had assisted him, and even then almost a quarter of SOLDIER was involved in the latter, and it was always business contact, never personal.

Even while off duty, he didn't like talking to the other SOLDIERs. They probably took it as an insult, having a boy just entering his teens under the tutor of a First. Even Kunsel had been taking some heat for it. Firsts usually chose Seconds well on their way to the top, but it was unheard of for a Third to receive such an honor, let alone a boy whose voice still cracked.

Sighing in defeat at his misfortune, Naruto resigned himself to his fate.

* * *

Naruto stepped out of the elevator onto the helipad and felt his heart race as he gazed at the black Shinra helicopter. He'd seen a few of these beauties through the window on the SOLDIER floor, but he'd never actually seen one up close.

He used to dream of taking one and plowing right through the Storm Ring. He'd fly by Sound, scoop up Sasuke and return home in style! A landing on the roof of the Hokage tower, watching everyone's shocked face as he dragged Sasuke out of the cargo hold. Ah, but that was a dream. He learned that even this mighty machine wasn't sturdy enough to weather the might of the Storm Ring. Still, his fascination with the flying behemoth never seemed to die down.

Kunsel could only make out a blue blur topped with yellow leap past him towards the magnificent machine. Then, he saw said blur get smacked with a steel pole, sending a jolt of blue electricity through his apprentice's body. Naruto leapt back, cradling his shocked chest as he looked towards the source of the attack.

"Hold up, hold up. Geez, he's a rowdy little rat, isn't he Kunsel?" a man with spiky red hair in a ponytail commented without turning around. "This area's under Turk Command, pal. SOLDIER better watch their manners, hey?"

Turk? This guy was a member of Shinra's elite black ops organization? He sure didn't look it. His navy blue suit was a mess! And even if this was Turk territory, there was no way they'd be permitted to attack a fellow member of Shinra.

Unfortunately, that little leak in Naruto's brain that bypassed restraint and ran straight out his mouth made him say all that out loud.

The man turned around and raised his goggles. "You got a problem with my suit?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth, only to have it covered by Kunsel's hands. "Nope, no problem, Reno. Continue, if you would."

The redhead nodded before breaking eye contact with Naruto, and shouted "Hey Rude! Company's here, let's fly!"

Kunsel released the struggling teen as Reno left for the helicopter. "Why'd you stop me?! I was gonna knock his lights out."

"I wouldn't suggest that…"

"Is your helmet foggy?! He just attacked me!"

Kunsel sighed. "Do you even know who the Turks are?"

"They're the Black Ops, right?"

Kunsel shook his head. "Officially, they are the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department. Espionage, security, yeah, that's their specialty. But I've heard they're also involved in kidnapping, assassination, and just about any other dirty thing you can think of. That attack; he could've gotten away with worse. Much worse."

"Unlike us, these guys are above the law."

Naruto gulped as he turned towards the red-haired man once more. If anyone else had told him all that about the Turks, especially after claiming that slob was among them, he would've given them an odd stare and walked away from the crazy man. But Kunsel was always informed; a living encyclopedia, covering every subject you could imagine. If Kunsel said it, it was so.

Kunsel strode towards the chopper, his student at his heels.

Kunsel leapt into the open bay with Naruto right on his heels. Reno nodded and motioned towards the cockpit. "Say hi, partner."

Inside the cockpit sat a man who perfectly foiled his partner's appearance. Perfect suit, perfect shave, perfect sunglasses, perfect demeanor; everything about him was by the book.

Rude turned and nodded. "Kunsel, a pleasure as always. And Naruto Uzumaki, SOLDIER Third Class. Nice to make your acquaintance." Rude extended his hand, which Naruto hesitantly took. As they shook, Naruto grit his teeth. Damn, what a grip!

Reno's ponytail whipped though the air as he hopped beside his partner and threw on his headphones, having Kunsel shut the side doors. "Ready, ladies? Next stop, Sector Eight!"

Reno flipped the ignition, bringing the black beast to life. As the rotors powered up, Naruto hastily placed a set of headphones over his ears to block out the powerful sound waves of the rotors. Less than a minute later, Reno grabbed the throttle and guided the roaring beast into the night sky.

Kunsel put the microphone up to his lips and spoke "You have the details?"

"Affirmative." Rude said. "A suspected terrorist group is meeting in an abandoned building on the outskirts of Sector Eight. Infiltrate, eliminate, and vacate."

The young blonde raised an eyebrow as he leaned against the door. "Then why are you here?"

Reno smirked. "First blood." Naruto didn't like the way he said it.

"And how will we be deployed?" Kunsel asked.

"RAD: Rapid Aerial Drop." The bald Turk responded.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What's that mean?"

Reno shot him a playful smile. "It means you won't be using parachutes."

* * *

The four-man team approached the outskirts of Sector Eight, approaching a dark, out-of-service section at the edge of the wall. Rude scanned the ground with a high-power pair of night goggles, never missing a detail. Finally, fifteen minutes after takeoff, Rude set down the goggles.

"Approaching target. ETA: two minutes."

Reno smirked. "Hey, SOLDIER! Get ready for RAD! We only get one shot at this."

Naruto nodded and took the opposite door of Kunsel. The plan was straightforward: drop, and wait. The rebels would be on guard after hearing a chopper go by, so they'd be on standby until the Turks made a stealth strike with the helicopter's offensive armaments.

Naruto opened the side door letting the rushing wind stream into the hanger bay, playing with his hair like a tornado plays with grass. Naruto pinched his eyes and stuck his helmet on his head to avoid the lashing wind, forcing the wind to settle for disturbing his clothing.

Naruto peeked over his shoulder and at his mentor, who had already mirrored his actions. Well, aside from the helmet, of course. Kunsel was never seen without it. It was rather odd, as most Firsts chose to forgo the in cumbersome piece of equipment. Still, even after six months together, he had never seen his real face. He found the déjà vu rather amusing.

Rude motioned to them. "Entering stealth mode…commence RAD on my mark."

Naruto stared out the window at the passing rooftops. They were going fast…easily over a hundred miles an hour, at thirty to forty feet above the rooftops. Kunsel had already gone over the basics of landing, but this was the first time…he couldn't help but feel a little stiffen as he imagined various scenarios. The 'land and turn into strawberry jam' scenario was particularly nauseating.

Reno flashed them a grin. "Mission start in three…"

The duo stepped onto the exterior foothold.

"Two…"

Naruto looked down again, trying not to think of strawberry jam.

"One…Begin mission!"

Naruto and Kunsel released their grip on the handholds, giving themselves to the universal force of gravity, letting it pull them to the earth at high speeds. Seconds later, he watched as the rooftop he would land on came into view. In just a few seconds, he'd land, for better or for worse. Taking a quick peek to the side, he saw Kunsel, already preparing to roll once he hit the concrete. As expected of a First. Naruto mirrored him as best he could, hoping to minimize the bruising he knew he'd receive.

Closing his eyes, he impacted the roof at high speeds, curling up into a ball as quickly and safely as he could. He must've rolled a good long way, because mere seconds after he hit, he smashed into the guardrail; a lucky save. A foot in either direction and he'd be sailing to the ground, a good ten stories down.

Naruto slowly got up, praying that the pain in his shoulder was just from the impact, and not from an exposed fracture. He'd suffered one while goofing around in the ninja academy, accidentally falling out of a tree. He wasn't in a hurry to repeat the experience no matter how fast he healed. Giving himself a quick check-up, while a little banged up, he was still in one piece. Sighing, Naruto rubbed his shoulder and walked over to Kunsel, who was watching the Turks make their way over the massive wall for their roundabout attack.

Kunsel seemed to have gotten off without a scratch. He didn't even have dust on his uniform. Setting aside his jealousy for now, Naruto lay down next to his mentor and friend while freeing his head from the confines of his helmet. Really, you'd think they could add some softer padding to the dam thing.

"Rough landing?"

Naruto grunted. "Shut up."

Kunsel took a seat next to Naruto. "I should let you know…the brass has had their eye on you for a while."

Naruto nodded. Even he knew that. He was the youngest, most prodigious member of SOLDIER (other than Sephiroth, of course). That whack-job Hojo had even taken an interest in him, having personally overseen his SOLDIER treatment. He knew full well that a lot of people kept him under a microscope. It reminded him all too much of his childhood in Konoha.

"They're considering a promotion."

…Okay, maybe not.

Naruto stared up at his mentor with wide eyes. "You-you mean Second?" Kunsel gave him a thumbs up. "Is that why they gave us such an awesome mission?!"

Kunsel shrugged. "I wouldn't consider it awesome. A dozen rebels give or take. Nothing serious."

Naruto grimaced. To Kunsel, this must look like a walk in the park. He'd had more than a few spars with Kunsel. He'd never asked for it; to volunteer to spar with Kunsel was to volunteer for bruises. Swordplay, materia, and limit breaks, the easy-going First was adept in every area of combat. It was definitely a comfort to have him along for the mission.

Normally, Kunsel left him with the Third Class missions while he went of First Class operations. Naruto always felt the beast of jealousy rage in his gut as Kunsel was handed that fancy file with a big black **1** on the front. Still, there had been times where he'd join Naruto on his boring duties. His presence had made those boring labors they called "missions" halfway bearable. Kunsel always knew how to lighten the mood, always carrying the perfect words on the tip of his tongue.

It wasn't only that. He'd never believed a man like him had existed until six months ago. Kunsel had been everything he'd ever wanted in a mentor. Kind like Iruka, wise like Kakashi, and strong like Jiraiya. It was almost impossible to believe that Kunsel was younger than every one of them. It was because of those warm words, subtle provocations, and endless encouragement that Naruto had progressed so fast. But it was more than just a student-teacher relationship. Kunsel embodied something that Naruto couldn't put into words. Naruto began to wonder how things would have been different if Kunsel had been with him growing up in Konoha.

He probably would never have cried.

"Hey, Whiskers." Kunsel shook his shoulder.

"Huh? Sorry, just thinking."

"About what?"

Naruto grinned. "Nothing."

Kunsel smirked and without warning put his blonde apprentice in a headlock, giving him the noogie of a lifetime. "Now now, don't be like that now, you hear? Come on, out with it."

Naruto flailed his arms in a desperate attempt to free himself, but to no avail. Kunsel had him locked in tight. They always got strange looks whenever Kunsel did this in public. But Kunsel knew how to get results. It never failed.

"Okay, okay fine!" Naruto gasped as Kunsel let go. "I was just thinking about Konoha for a bit, okay?" Naruto grumbled as he looked away.

Kunsel's mouth curled into a wicked smile. "Got a girl back there?"

If the enemy attacked at that moment, they'd be at a significant advantage, as all blood in Naruto's body had been redirected in his face. "I-I do no-well, sort of but…no, well, maybe I-ow!"

Kunsel removed his fist from the top of Naruto's skull. "Geez, pre-teens…be thankful you have the wise and all-knowing Kunsel at your side!"

Naruto watched as Kunsel stood and went into one of his comical rants. "You like a girl? Follow your heart! But don't follow your loins; they can get you into deep, deep dung, and so! Chase after your dreams until the ends of the earth!"

Naruto laughed. "Yeah yeah, I got time to worry about that after I get First!"

Kunsel shook his head. "Naruto, Naruto! Don't you remember? You're not gonna stop at First! Higher, higher!" Kunsel raised his hand again. "So shout to the heavens so they know you're on your way!"

Naruto sighed. "Yeah yeah, I know. You never let me forget it."

"You better not."

Naruto watched as Kunsel walked over to the railing, leaning along the railing. "It's real, you know? You're gonna go far, kid."

"Why's that?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. He already knew that, but no one ever said it so seriously. This was a first, even for Kunsel.

The young man frowned. "You know, I wasn't too happy when I first met you." Kunsel admitted. "You were loud, obnoxious, and downright annoying." Naruto winced. "When I gave you back your stuff, it was supposed to be my way of saying 'get the hell outta here.' I gotta admit, I don't know why I gave you a chance."

Kunsel turned around, smiling at Naruto. "But I think now, I know why." Kunsel strode up to the silent boy, lowering his gloved hand onto his head. "Your eyes have a familiar shine."

Naruto could see his reflection in Kunsel's helmet. It was hard to believe how much he'd grown in just six months. Kunsel had commented numerous times that he was growing into a fine young man. But those weren't the features he was looking at. His eyes, now imbued with the mako glow of SOLDIER, still shone with the same hope as before, brightened by the power of the planet.

Naruto's eyes had inspired hope in others many times in the past. The courage, hope and sheer determination his eyes embodied had a strange power on those who were graced by his gaze. They planted that courage and power into others, creating an endless beginning of hopes and dreams. Haku, Zabuza, Neji, Gaara, and even Sasuke were among those graced with a glimpse, and had their lives forever changed by a single look. Naruto himself was unaware of his greatest strength, but maybe one day he would discover the true power of his eyes; and when he did, he would find they were stronger than any jutsu he would ever know.

Kunsel turned his head towards the sky, and caught a red signal light from the Turks in the distance. "Get ready."

Both he and Naruto ran to the other side of the building and took cover behind a pile of crates. Immediately after, they heard the hiss of approaching missiles. It was a terrible sound, but not as terrible as the sound that came when they hit the building.

The deafening explosion could be heard for miles as the explosion blew half the roof away. Rubble and debris flew a hundred feet into the sky and fell like a rain of sakura petals.

Kunsel stood from his hiding place, gazing forward at the giant hole into the rebel base. He nodded. "Let's go," he said charging into the wreckage. Naruto leapt forward and followed his mentor into battle.

* * *

Things…hadn't gone as planned.

Naruto lay on the streets below the building, surrounded by rubble of all sizes. Rain poured down from the skies above; its soft pitter-patter the only accompaniment to the gunfire and explosions echoing in the skies above him as Kunsel battled against the rebels single-handedly. Glancing upward, he saw flashes of light as the men emptied their clips at the SOLDIER First Class.

Naruto felt something warm spreading down towards his hand. Peeking out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bullet wound in his left bicep. Blood seeped through the hole, pouring down the contours of his muscled arm before falling to the ground in a small red pool. But unlike the simulation, there wasn't any pain. Was he in shock? Naruto flexed his wrist to make sure he hadn't lost motion in his arm. It twitched. Good, at least the nerve pathways were intact.

Returning his gaze to the sky, he tried to piece together what just happened. His brain had been given too much information to process at once. Only now was he beginning to understand.

He'd followed Kunsel through the opening the Turks had made, entering the floor below. Yeah, that seemed right. But even at a glance he could tell something was wrong. For one thing, there weren't a dozen troops.

There were over a hundred.

The entire floor was one giant level, with no walls dividing the floor into individual rooms. Most of the force was probably on this level. And even with the twenty-something bodies scattered around the floor, killed by the impact of the explosion, so many remained; not only grunts with rifles and pistols, but rocket launchers and turrets. And as soon as the two dropped, all sights were on them.

He froze. Forgotten was his promise during his mission to the Land of Waves. Forgotten was his promise to go back home. His friends, his everything disappeared as he stared death in the face. Slowly, the troops all checked their aim, making sure it was straight and true, but the boy just stood still.

But Kunsel hadn't stood still. He remembered that the opening the Turks had created not only consisted of the top, but the wall behind them. Just as the first rifle fired, he threw his arm back, smashing it into Naruto's chest as the first bullet hit home in his left bicep. The force of the hit threw the blonde out the window, falling to the streets below. The last thing Naruto remembered seeing was Kunsel's solid form drawing his sword, preparing to face the onslaught alone.

Everything had seemed so far away. How did they do it? How did people like Kakashi and Kunsel stare death in the face? How did they act so calm then they were standing on the edge of a knife? And now, Kunsel was up there, alone. Was he really this useless?

Closing his empty eyes as his nerves began to register the pain. Taking a deep breath to bring calm, he gathered himself in the pleasant silence. Wait, silence?

Naruto's body went perpendicular very fast as he registered a sudden change in the environment.

There was only rain.

Where had the fighting gone?

Kunsel!

Naruto began to stand, but his right leg collapsed. Grunting in pain, he realized his calf sported a wound similar to his bicep. Growling as he forced himself to stand through the pain, he limped as fast as he could over to the wall, where he began to climb. Using his chakra to grip to the brick wall, he recycled his old ninja technique and dragged himself up the building to the highest floor.

If he'd thought about it, what he was doing was rather brash. He didn't know if Kunsel had won, and even if he had, he was only putting unnecessary strain on his body, climbing a building with his injuries. And if Kunsel lost, what could he do? Give his master company in the afterlife? But Naruto never thought, he acted. And so he continued to climb to meet whatever fate had awaiting him.

Naruto grabbed the edge of the opening the missile had made, pulling himself to the top. Grasping out with his left arm, he found a hand. A very cold hand. Naruto peeked up and saw the body of a fallen rebel, face frozen in fear. Naruto clasped the dead man's hand and pulled himself upward, dragging the body to the edge in the process.

Naruto stood up and stared at the massacre. Bodies littered the floor, painting the worn carpet an unwelcoming crimson. Guns, shells, and swords lay scattered about the room; some whole, and some in pieces. Several bits of floor were scarred with fire, and there was a group of soldiers frozen in a block of ice near the entrance. The roof had been completely blown apart, with pieces crushing soldiers, and pinning corpses.

And in the center of it all, lay Kunsel.

Naruto ran over to him, gripping the wound on his shoulder as he went. Just as he reached his mentor, he slid to his knees, instantly at his side. His blood ran cold as if hit by a blizzard spell as his eyes ran over his body.

The cloth of his shirt was riddled with holes, and his sword was chipped and covered with drying blood. The black First Class uniform raced the carpet below him to absorb as much precious fluid as it could. But what was most shocking was his face. His helmet was nowhere to be seen, allowing Naruto to see Kunsel's face for the first time. But the rebels had never touched his face. All the wounds were old.

Burns, scars, and an eyelid sewn shut. His nose was missing a chunk along the side, his lips were pale and ripped, and his ears were completely gone, with only small holes granting him his sense of hearing. But behind it all was a face. A real, human face. This was Kunsel. This was his friend.

Naruto leaned over Kunsel and shook him, desperate for him to show any sign of life. "Kunsel…Kunsel, wake up…" Naruto said in little more than a whisper. His shaking began to get harder and faster, but his voice began to fail.

His begging ended when he heard a small chuckle. "You came back…you're a real card, Whiskers…"

Naruto's eyes snapped open as Kunsel twitched his grotesque lips into a smile. "Heh…like what you see?" he said jokingly. Kunsel raised an arm and placed it on the other, and began rubbing. "Hmpf…waterproof my ass…" He removed his gloved hand, now covered with make-up, to reveal the deep scars and burns marring his young skin.

Kunsel sighed. "I'm a real monster, aren't I?"

Naruto hiccupped, shaking his head.

The fallen First chuckled. "Hey, don't cry, Whiskers. It looks so uncool."

"I'm not crying…" And he wasn't. It was just the rain. Naruto was still denying this was real.

"…Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I have something for you… under my bed… I was going to give it to you when you reached First, so… promise you won't peek, eh?

Naruto's eyes widened at what Kunsel had just said. "What are you talking about? You'll give it to me yourself…you'll be there…right?"

Kunsel shook his head. "If hope was enough, people like me wouldn't be needed." Kunsel opened his single eye, his big, chocolate-brown eye, the only part of him unscarred, and looked into Naruto's sky-blue ones, for the first time with his vision unmarred by his helmet. "But you… you're not like me… you're different."

"Kunsel…"

"You wanted to know… why I stuck with you, right?" Kunsel began. "You have something in your eyes… something big. Something great. Something… an old friend of mine had, too. I wanted to see that in full bloom, someday." Kunsel turned to him once more. "But it looks like I'll have to wait… when you join me, I wanna see it, 'kay?"

Naruto, with only his mentor and the crying sky as his witness, promised. "…Mm…"

Kunsel gave one last smile. "Remember Whiskers… shout to the heavens so they know you're on your way… because…"

Kunsel raised his hand to the sky. "You're gonna reach the stars… and shine!"

Kunsel's chest rose, and fell. It did not resume.

And at that moment, those soft, sky-blue eyes were lost to the world.

* * *

Naruto had heard them. The surviving rebels had all gone outside looking for him, just missing him as he climbed up the building. Naruto was walking down the stairs to meet them.

His steps were heavy, echoing against the tight corridors of the stairway. He felt no pain from the bullet wounds, nor did he feel anything at all. Perhaps this was some sort of complete shock, for both mind and body. But it didn't matter. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. To lessen the mood, Naruto ran his sword along the handle support beams as he walked by, letting each impact linger for a moment before hitting the next one on his slow march downward. He did this until he ran out of bars to hit, but by then, he was at the bottom, and he had his sights set on hitting something much more fulfilling.

Naruto walked right out of the makeshift rebel headquarters onto the streets, where rebels ran in every direction to find his fallen form. The surprise on their faces as he walked right into their grasp must have meant this was the last thing they were expecting. But it didn't matter. Nothing did now, after all.

Naruto kept his head bowed to the ground as the surviving rebels gathered their numbers again, until every one of them had their barrel pointed straight at him. The leader, who stood in front of his fifty-something troops, looked to be quite frail, with a tall slim build, and short black hair. Good; all the easier to knock him down.

The rebel leader spoke: "Made your peace, Shinra Scum?"

Naruto twirled his sword in his hands. He took a step forward, and since with cause comes effect, the rebels raised their guns. "There's a saying you people have for fighting SOLDIER. My master made a little alteration; wanna hear it?" Naruto didn't wait for them to respond. "When fighting such a powerful warrior, the only way to achieve victory is to vastly outnumber the enemy."

Naruto stopped toying with his sword. "Fight as one, a single mind among many bodies…and then all together…" Naruto stopped stepping forward. "…Come at him with everything you've got!!"

The sound of clicking guns filled the air as they made final preparations for fire. The Third took no heed of this, and added Kunsel's little addition to the saying. "And then…"

Naruto raised his head, revealing the bloody eyes of the demon fox. "…go to hell."

* * *

He heard them approaching, but took no notice. He heard them stop and stare with disgust at the pile of dead bodies surrounding him, but took no notice. Only when they approached him and demanded his attention did he grudgingly take notice.

"Oi, Third Class! Got an explanation?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side, but did not turn to meet them. "… A dozen guys, huh? A dozen _fucking _guys?!"

Reno scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry about that. Bad intel, it happens."

Naruto's jaw bobbed up and down as he attempted to form a proper response. "…Bad intel…?" Naruto whirled around and grabbed Reno by the neck, lifting him as high off the ground as he could. He could've sworn Reno just pissed himself after seeing his demon eyes. "Do you need _counting_ lessons, you fucking Turk?! At a hundred off, I say we start lessons right away!" He grabbed his hand. "Let's start by counting fingers!" He clutched one of Reno's fingers and positioned his hand to break it. "One!"

Right before he could start, an arm grabbed his. "Calm down. This won't change anything." Rude counseled. "Breathe…" Naruto took a deep breath at Rude's request, and released it, along with Reno. The lanky Turk staggered back, rubbing his bruising neck.

"Geez, psycho…"

Naruto met Rude's gaze. "We received this intel from a spy…this was not our doing."

"You think the spy could be a double-agent?" Reno asked.

"It's a possibility." Rude replied. Naruto remained silent. If that spy had set them up… if he was the reason Kunsel was dead…

"We'll look into it later. These bodies still need to be destroyed… and Kunsel has fallen as well?" Silence was answer enough. "His body will also have to be disposed of."

Naruto glared, sending shivers down their spines. "Like hell he'll be burned with these bastards!!"

Reno sighed. "Company policy. Let it burn, let it burn." Naruto knew what that meant. Destroy any evidence of company involvement. They'd tell the public about how SOLDIER put down another rebellion, but they would always make sure to dispose of the evidence, so the public would never see their faces; never know the look of the true massacre. But still, even if Kunsel's body must be destroyed, not here. Not with them.

Reno wanted to cast the damn fire spell and get the dirty work over with, but the Turk saw that he was unlikely to sway the young man, and he wasn't about to put himself on the receiving end of his rage again. Compromise was probably the only alternative. "So…you do it. Take him away and burn him. You got a fire materia, right?"

Naruto glared, but nodded, wanting to put Kunsel to rest himself. He strode away from the Turks, strapping his blade to his back as he went.

"Uzumaki!" Reno shouted.

Naruto turned around, catching the clothing that was thrown at him. It was deep purple.

"Congratulations, you're promoted." Reno announced in a dull tone. Naruto turned away and walked back up to the highest floor, preparing to give Kunsel his final farewell

* * *

Naruto stood on the outskirts of Sector Eight, miles away from Kunsel's last battlefield. He'd gathered all the wood he could find and laid them in a large pile, with Kunsel on top. He'd taken Kunsel's make-up kit from his belt and covered up the scars the water had revealed, and covered his head with his helmet for the last time. Kunsel had never wanted the world to see the scars. Naruto would let Kunsel take his secret to the grave, and swore he would never tell a soul.

Naruto had found a sack of oil wrapped in the Second Class uniform he'd been given. His old uniform was off to the side, the sky-blue color bloodied crimson. Now clothed in purple, he stared at its black counterpart. He could see his reflection in Kunsel's helmet. It must have been two hours since the fight, but the influence of the fox still lingered inside his body: his whiskers still prominent, and his eyes still demonic. He'd secretly enjoyed the power of the demon fox, and savored it whenever he felt it coursing through his body. It was the power he always wanted, but could never control; the power that made him strong, and gave him the power to protect. But for the first time, he wanted nothing more than to have his sky-blue eyes back once more, and grace Kunsel with their presence one last time.

Life was full of irony.

Without saying a word, Naruto threw the sack of oil on the logs, watching it burst and spill over the wood and his former mentor. He gathered his energy into the fire materia on his back. Holding back, he took one last look at the peaceful face of his fallen master. Naruto cast the spell, igniting the wood and oil, surrounding his master in flames. He remembered hearing about how the smoke of the dead would carry their souls to the heavens, and there they would achieve eternal happiness. Naruto didn't know anything about religion or mythology, and never crafted his own idea of what the afterlife was like, but whatever there was, he wished Kunsel's final adventure would be happy.

Naruto stood there and watched until nothing but ashes remained, and slowly walked away.

"Goodbye."

* * *

One week later, the blonde Second Class walked through the halls of the Shinra building, heading for the training room as he did every morning. Ignoring and being ignored by other SOLDIERs, Naruto entered his usual training room.

He approached the control panel and selected the "rebel gunmen" model for training purposes. Confirming his selection, he glanced at the dial that determined the number. He strode by it and gave it a violent spin, letting it stop where it will.

He prepared to enter the training room, fingering the handle of his blade as he waited for the program to initiate. Grabbing his goggles, he caught his reflection in the glass wall. His eyes were still the same: demonic. Ever since that battle one week ago, Naruto had never felt the fox's power leave his system. He could feel the energy seeping through the seal into his body, giving him a never-ending supply of demonic chakra. Even now, his whisker marks were still dark and his eyes were still red with dark rage. He had to admit, he was beginning to like it.

Naruto strapped on the goggles and entered the training room, quickly counting the heads. It looked like the dial stopped somewhere in the fifties. At least he wouldn't be bored.

Naruto slowly drew his sword from his back, flashing the rebels a wicked smile. He couldn't wait to count them down.


	4. Demon Eyes

**A/N: **I'm going to try and finish up the Midgar arc before summer's end, so expect more frequent updates in the coming weeks.

* * *

"Hey, what's that kid doing here?"

Well well, it's starting already?

The Second looked around. "Kid? Where?"

"That one sitting alone in the lounge. You know, the blonde?"

Bingo.

"Oh…him…" The Second leaned against the wall. "Can't you tell? He's in SOLDIER."

Said blonde stared into the window, watching the disgruntled reflection of the Third as he threw his hands up in dismay.

"That _brat_ is a Second?! You gotta be pulling my leg."

His instructor sighed. "He's a…special case. He's actually my senior."

Heh, was that jealousy he just heard?

The Third shook his head. "Uh-uh, no way. I've been waiting three years for an open slot, and they were giving them away to children?! I wanna know what's so special about this guy!"

The Second just rubbed the bridge of his nose in an attempt to ward off the oncoming headache. "Look, just trust me on this: stay away from that guy."

"Oh no, I'm not letting this go!"

Sighing, the Second motioned towards the boy. "Fine, go see for yourself."

Perfect.

The Third strolled over to the lounge, confidently making his way over to the boy facing the window. He walked right up behind his chair and slapped the boy on the shoulder. "Hey blondie, you got a name?"

Oh, how he loved this part.

The boy swatted away the man's hand as he would a fly. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, but you know…"

He turned around, glaring at the Third with black slits wreathed in fiery crimson. "...around here, they call me Demon Eyes."

The Third gulped as he staggered back. He certainly hadn't been expecting _that_! Flexing whatever composure he could muster, he took a deep breath and muttered "O-oh, I see…I'm-"

Naruto leapt up and grabbed his wrist. "Don't know, don't care. You rookies still wet behind the ears really gotta learn to keep it down, ya know?" Naruto smirked as the Third paled.

"So, ya wanna know how I got into SOLDIER so early? Come on, I'll give you a hands-on demonstration." Naruto chirped darkly as he dragged the whimpering rookie into the training room.

* * *

Naruto stepped out of the training room twenty minutes later with a little more spring in his step than usual. He smirked as a pair of medics rushed by him carrying the battered body of the Third to the medical wing. The medics sure didn't look happy; it was the fifth time this month he taught a rookie a lesson. But it had to be done sooner or later. These rookies really had to learn to get a bite to match their bark. Plus it let him sort out the potentials from the hopeless.

The blonde casually glanced down the hall, grinning at the Second gave him a quick glare before running after his student. He simply scoffed at the older man and began trekking down the hall. He wasn't worried about getting reported. He wouldn't say anything; not that it mattered if he did.

Everyone in SOLDIER knew how the higher-ups called him the next Sephiroth. Since his promotion to Second a year ago, he'd taken over a hundred missions within the Midgar area. From inspections to assaults, each one was a success. On top of that, Hojo held him in high regard, performing test after test whenever he got the chance. Body composition, strength tests, whatever he could think of. He never let him go so far as to experiment on him, much to Hojo's dismay, but there were times when he pushed his limits. Naruto didn't mind, though; they made sure he was _very_ well paid.

And because of his importance in the organization, he was given quite a bit of leeway in terms of treatment. Aside from being restricted to the city, he could get away with just about anything. Needless to say, his comrades weren't very pleased with the company favoritism; specially when they were the ones he dragged off into the training room.

Naruto felt a low rumble in his stomach. Oh yeah, he'd been thinking about heading down to the cafeteria for a snack before that Third came along. He altered his course for the elevators to the lower floors. He reached the steel door and pressed the button, and didn't wait long before the elevator arrived.

"Oh hey, Naruto! Good to see you!"

…Oh no, not him…

The Second Class reached out and grabbed Naruto's wrist, tugging the surprised boy through the open door just before it began closing. Naruto staggered to regain his balance and create some distance between the two. He looked up, glaring at the grinning man.

"Luxerie, I should have known."

Luxerie grinned. "I've been looking for you! Did you send another Third to the hospital?"

Naruto sighed. Of all the times to meet this guy. "Yeah, I did."

The man threw back his head, laughter bursting from his throat. "Ah, brings back memories. I remember the first time you did that to me!"

Yeah, and he remembered the second, and the third…he gave up counting around the seventh…

The Demon Eyed SOLDIER dropped his head, drowning out his comrade's annoying voice. Luxerie was the one man who wasn't intimidated by his special status. If anything, it was like a magnet to the guy! He probably thought that since Naruto was always in the spotlight, mingling with him would put him in it as well. But Naruto had to give it to him, he was dedicated. He didn't even seem resentful of all the hospital visits Naruto had given him, and there had been many. Mind you, he wasn't so hateful of the man that he'd permanently injure Luxerie just to keep him away. Eventually, Naruto just got tired of fighting him. He never landed a hit and he never stayed away. It was a waste of time fighting this guy.

Then again, this guy was a waste of time **period!**

Luxerie slapped him on the shoulder. "I'm heading down to the cafeteria, Care to join me?"

Naruto cursed his luck. "No, I'm not hungry."

The broody blonde checked what floor they were currently at. Thirty-Seventh. He then punched the button for the Thirty-Sixth. "I'm meeting someone from the science department."

The elevator stopped and Naruto exited the doors as soon as they were open. Luxerie followed. "Alright, I'll join you! I've got nothing important to-"

Naruto's hand whipped back, grabbed Luxerie's belt, and hurled him forward. Ignoring the crashing sound and gasps of the other occupants, the attacker stepped back into the elevator, pressing the button to close the door.

Naruto sighed as he pressed the button labeled "1", and began descending to the bottom of the building. He couldn't go eat now; Luxerie would find him in the cafeteria. Oh well, he could always find something else to do. Maybe he'd finally go see that play Kunsel had told him about. What was it called again?

Oh yeah. Loveless.

* * *

Four hours later, if one were to have a birds-eye view, one would be able to catch a spot of yellow among the sea of brown and black leaving the theatre.

Said spot of blonde was making his way down the road in full SOLDIER attire, armor and all. He never had bothered to get any normal civilian clothing. But Shinra personnel of all types were common in Sector Eight, and the uniform of the SOLDIER elite decorated the streets as much as any other.

The young operative made his way over to a bench near the fountain in the sector square. Throwing himself down onto the hard plastic, he looked out into the square, taking particular interest in the curves of the water as they fell. Soon after, he began to reminisce about the play.

A play about three friends, separated by war. One was captured by the enemy, one fled the battlefield, and the last became a hero. For some reason, an image of the picture he kept in his room came to mind. Him, Sasuke and Sakura. If he had to substitute them for the three friends, Sasuke having gone to Orochimaru would be the one captured by the enemy, and him, being washed away from the ninja lands, would be the one that fled the battle. Then that would leave the one who became a hero. Would that be…Sakura?

…

Naruto burst out laughing into the night sky. He wiped away a tear forming as he finally settled down. Sakura was his friend, but he couldn't picture her as some kind of great war hero. If that happened, she might even become Hokage. Well, Kakashi once said that she was the closest of the three, but he was joking. Probably.

Naruto closed his eyes, bowing his head. It all seemed so far; the days when they laughed, when they fought, when they were a true team. What were they all doing now? Sakura would probably be training with Tsunade, and working on becoming a great medic. She'd do fine. He'd seen her determination before he left. Kakashi would be waiting for the latest installment in the Pervy Sage's series. Maybe Jiraiya would let him see the drafts. That'd make his day. And Sasuke…

Naruto clenched his fists. Jiraiya had told him just before they left that Sasuke had three years before Orochimaru would have a chance to exchange bodies. But that was a long time ago. He'd just turned thirteen when they left, and it had been twenty months since he first arrived in Gaia. That left him only a year and four months before Orochimaru had his chance. Maybe less, if the snake found a shortcut. In that time, could he find a way through the storm ring? And even if he made it through, would he be able to do it? But he made a promise…the promise of a lifetime…

…Was it a promise he couldn't keep?

Naruto threw his head back as he stared up at the black skies of Midgar. Come to think of it, the sky never changed around here, did it? When was the last time he'd seen a clear blue sky? He'd never traveled far enough outside the Midgar area to see anything but the same colorless clouds. He wondered what it was like for the children born into this new city, to be raised in a world of endless night. And what would they be like when they finally saw the wild blue yonder? Here, even the stars refused to shine.

But then…what was that shine in the sky? And why was it getting bigger? And why was it…oh shit!

Naruto threw himself off the bench, flying across the plaza as a metal object fell from the sky, smashing the bench to pieces with a violent crash. Looking up, his demonic eyes were able to confirm that the hunk of metal was actually a combat machine. He'd seen these before: a walking type, with gun-arm attachments and a red car-like body: a Sweeper.

_Crash!_ Another? _Crash!_ That makes three! _Cracrcrash!!_ Now he'd lost count! Competing for the right to damage his ears were the cries of the people as machine after machine began descending from the sky, shattering the tiles decorating the streets. The crashing noise mixed with the cries of the people to form raw chaos. Eris would certainly be pleased. And the madness only got worse as the Sweeper prepared to fire.

Acting on instinct Naruto drew his sword back and slashed it towards the earth in a strong arc, releasing a beam of energy from his blade. The arc sailed across the ground, ripping through the tiles in a clean line as it closed the gap between it and the gunbot. The gunbot had just taken aim when the beam hit, slicing the metal beast in two even halves which tumbled to the ground.

The Demon Eyed SOLDIER turned around, counting the remaining Sweepers. Eight remaining. This wasn't going to be easy.

Naruto gathered his energy in his sword and focused it in one of the green materias in his blade, which just happened to be linked to an All. Naruto drew his hand back as if he were preparing to fire an arrow, gathering the power in his back hand. With a feral smile, he thrust his hand forward releasing the power of the lightning materia. Seven separate arcs of lightning flew from his hand, each zapping a separate robot, lighting up the streets. The machines froze and began twitching as the electricity began to fry their circuits, but it didn't last.

Naruto finished firing the spell and watched as two machines began to twitch violently and crash in a heap. Looks like he managed to fry their motherchips. There was another that was smoking, but still standing in an attempt to fulfill its programming. The other five were recovering and taking aim at their attacker. Too slow!

Naruto lunged at the nearest robot and leapt on top of it, stabbing his sword straight through the steel exterior. In one swift strike, he ran his sword along the entire top of the hull, gutting the machine. Naruto leapt off and immediately readied for the next charge. Only as he raised his sword in the attacking position, he noticed something was very wrong.

An audible clatter resonated through the air. The operative turned around and saw the remains of his broadsword lying on the street like roadkill. Looking down, he realized he only had about an inch of blade remaining. Naruto gulped and turned to the machines. This wasn't going to end well.

Naruto rolled to the side to avoid the shower of incoming bullets. He somehow maneuvered himself right behind the fountain before the Sweepers managed to recreate his early training days. Naruto hid behind the fountain as stray gunfire sent chunks of the fountain flying across the plaza. With all gunfire on him, the citizens had already begun to leave the area. Good for them. That just left him with five hostile Sweepers trying to spatter his remains all over Sector Eight.

Joy.

The blonde closed his eyes as he heard the machines approach. What did he have? He didn't have another weapon on him. His old ninja gear never even left the room anymore, and he didn't have any long-range ninjutsu. Shadow clones were a possibility, but he hadn't used them in so long. It'd probably be a repeat of his academy graduation test. He couldn't drag one of the fallen Sweeper's arms and use that as a weapon either. For one, it didn't have a trigger, two, it was heavy, and three, he was the worst shot in the Shinra! So what did that leave him with?

Naruto rolled his head back as he felt the heavy footsteps of he Sweepers. They were coming. Gripping his fists, he cursed his lack of preparation.

Wait. That wouldn't get him anywhere. He had to keep a level head. Alright, so no weapons, no other means of defeating them here. He'd have to retreat and regroup. There was a Shinra storehouse near here. He should be able to find something there.

"Open fire!!"

Naruto's eyes shot open as he heard overwhelming gunfire coming from his right. Turning, he saw a group of Shinra grunts led by a man in a black suit firing everything they had at the machines. Many were carrying bullet-resistant riot shields, forming a shield for the grunts. They must have come from the Shinra building. Two of the machines were both riddled with holes before they could react to the surprise attack, joining their fallen brethren for a trip to the junkyard. However, the other two functioning machines managed to complete their clumsy turns and return fire at the squad. Taking cover behind buildings, shield-bearers, or whatever they could find, they managed to avoid becoming K.I.A.

Demon Eyes used this distraction to dash around the fountain and behind the gunmen. Leaping on top of the closest one, Naruto quickly held his hands together to perform the one jutsu he _had_ been practicing. Gathering the chakra, using one hand to rotate and the other to contain, he quickly formed the red ball of spiraling chakra; Rasengan!

Naruto raised the ball high and smashed it into the hull of the Sweeper. The steel twisted and tore as the ball of energy violently grinded its way past the outer defenses. Once inside, the power of the attack ripped the delicate wiring to pieces. Power lines, fuel passages and delicate wiring were all blasted away by the power of the Rasengan. Naruto ended the attack and leapt off the machine, landing just as the rogue Sweeper tumbled to the ground. Naruto raised his hands to prepare another when he heard the cocking of a gun right in his face.

Raising his head, he looked right down the barrel of the remaining Sweeper's gun.

_BANG!!!_

Naruto tumbled to the side, grabbing his wounded right shoulder. At that range, it was all he could do to avoid a fatality. The bullet had pierced a pressure point; he wouldn't be able to ready another Rasengan with this much pain. Naruto staggered to his feet as the Sweeper kept one gun on the grunts and the other on him. But it didn't fire this time. Instead, it released a toxic gas through the front ventilation system, surrounding Naruto in a toxic fog.

Hacking and coughing for air, the blonde covered his mouth in an attempt to ward off the poison. But it was no use, he'd already inhaled enough of the green gas. Knowing he had to get out, he used his remaining energy to leap up into the air and out of the fog. He grabbed onto a lamp post with his good arm and swung up top looking down at the scene.

"Uzumaki!"

Naruto turned in the direction of the grunts, where the voice had come from, and met eyes with the man in the black suit. "Take this!" He shouted, throwing a handgun at the SOLDIER.

Naruto barely caught the thing, freaking out when he realized he caught it pointing at his heart. Looking down, he shouted back "I'm horrible with these."

"Improvise." The man said, before ducking behind an alleyway as the Sweeper fired once more.

Naruto looked at the gun while the Sweeper busied himself trying to hit the grunts. He was a horrible shot. Really, the worst. How did they expect him to fight with it? Even as a ninja, he was always best at close range. Long-distance combat was for someone like Temari or Tenten, anyways. He preferred fighting like Lee, up close and personal.

And then the little switch inside his head went _click_! Even if it was a gun, why not use it up close and personal?

Naruto leapt down into the alley with the rest of the grunts. Ignoring the surprised gasps and questions, he ran up to a shield-bearer and snatched away his shield, kicking him into the alley. Naruto strapped the shield to his arm and cocked the handgun, and charged straight at the metal monster.

Gunfire whizzed by and smashed into the black shield as Naruto continued onward. Looking out the small peek-hole, he watched as the Sweeper got bigger and bigger and bigger, until finally the gunfire was almost point-blank. Just before he collided, Naruto lowered himself to the ground and slid like a baseball player desperate to beat the ball to home plate. As he slid, he shifted the shield and raised the handgun, and fired seven deadly shots into the weakly defended underside. Naruto slid back onto his feet and broke into a run as the machine began to smoke, before blowing into a million pieces, lighting up the sky.

Naruto began to cough as he removed some bandages from a pouch on his belt and dressed his wounded shoulder. Holding one end with his mouth and wrapping it around with the other, Naruto managed to messily tie the temporary bandage. Coughing once more, he put a hand on his knee to support him while the other covered his mouth.

"That was an impressive show." The suited man approached him. Demon eyes locked with dark ones as the man introduced himself. "Tseng, of the Turks. I've already heard your name, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto scoffed. "It's Demon Eyes, haven't you heard?"

Tseng gave a small bow. "My apologies." He motioned towards the smoking machine; the last one still operational. "If you would join me, we're not quite done."

Naruto nodded and stood tall as he followed the long haired Turk over to the last Sweeper. Grunts had already torn open the side and were digging around the interior. Tseng motioned for them to move, which they did without hesitation. Tseng took a look at the exposed CPU…whatever it was called. Naruto wasn't very techno-savvy.

Tseng continued his investigation, his eyes carefully scanning the device for any abnormalities. It was like he was reading a book; his eyes reading one line after another. Finally, Tseng's eyes lit up and he reached inside the machine, quickly pulling out a device.

"Now we know why our machines went rogue." Tseng announced, holding up a small chip.

Naruto stared at the device in confusion. "How's that?"

Tseng rolled the chip between his fingers as he continued to observe it. "This chip must holds a code meant to override the Sweeper's original programming and replace it with new combat instructions. It seems to have also switched recognition status of allies to enemies."

Naruto coughed again and asked "So what now?"

Tseng shook his head. "It's a small chip, and at this size would only have enough room for the override code. It's unlikely there's a time-activation code on it, from what I can see. Whoever did this…did it recently."

Naruto growled "Alright, so let's go! Where are they?"

Tseng looked at the smoking Sweeper. "These Sweepers come from the Sector Eight warehouse. The offenders are likely still within the area."

Demon Eyes smirked. "Alright, let's go!"

Tseng shook his head. "Wait, I've already tried contacting them. We've lost all communications with the warehouse, and there are reports of multiple attacks of similar nature all throughout the sector. We've got to wait for more troops to arrive before we can investigate the area."

Naruto grabbed the man by the collar. "Are you telling me to wait?! If we wait, those guys are gonna get away!" Naruto's eyes widened as he released his grip and covered his mouth as another violent fit of coughing ensued. A sharp pain began to run down his throat as if he swallowed a knife. After a particularly violent cough, he cringed as the coppery taste of blood was registered inside his mouth.

Tseng corrected his suit and brushed himself off. "You've been wounded and poisoned. Return to headquarters and get healed up. I've no need for the walking wounded."

Naruto glared at the man. Lowering his bloody hands, he walked over to the last Sweeper, the one left standing after the lightning, gathered energy in his leg, and to the shock of every grunt in the group kicked right through the leg of the machine, letting it keel over at last. "Are you kidding me? The Shinra building's farther than the warehouse. I'm just gonna look into the materia stocks and see if the have a heal around there. Of course, I have no idea where the materia is, so I'll just have to search the whole place over. And if I happen to run into any intruders, I guess I'll just have to take care of them for you." Naruto turned around, smirking. "Got a problem with that?"

Tseng stood silently for a moment before closing his eyes, bowing his head ever so lightly. "The rumors do you justice; you're as reckless as they say."

Naruto scooped out the materia from the remains of his sword, placing them in a small pouch at his side. "A lot of SOLDIERs are reckless. Most of them go charging straight to their deaths. But that's what separates them from me."

Naruto turned and began his journey to the warehouse. "I've survived!"

* * *

Darkvision: it was a skill carried by all those whose bodies had been exposed to large quantities of mako. It is also suspected to be the cause behind the mako glow of SOLDIER operatives. While the eyes primary vision outshines the darkvision with adequate lighting, when the light is taken away, darkvision takes over. It is believed that the mako glow from the eyes radiates around the room, and reflects off the environment in a form of echolocation, creating a sixth sense in those infused with mako. Individuals have no control over when it activates. At times, the eyes may even shift so that if one area is lit, the other may be seen in darkvision.

Naruto was thanking the heavens for that wonderful skill now.

Walking along the hallway inside the warehouse with a gun in one hand and a riot shield in the other, he found that watching his step was a must. Glass from shattered lights was everywhere, and if not for his darkvision, even his boots would've been minced by now. Moving as silently as possible, he covered his mouth with his hand as he began hacking up blood. Keeping it as quiet as possible, the blonde finished and removed his hand from his mouth. He watched as the pool of blood in his palm seeped through the cracks of his fingers, falling like water from a leaky faucet to the floor. He didn't have much longer. The poison was starting to take its toll.

Naruto immediately made his way as quickly and as quietly as possible to the Sweeper storage bay. As he ran, he took note as to how most of the facility was in near-perfect condition. Most of the doors were locked and unhampered with. Obviously the Sweeper's wouldn't, but he'd also passed various storage areas where some incredibly valuable items were kept. These weren't simple thieves; they had something much more specific in mind.

At the end of the hall he arrived at his destination: the Sweeper holding bay. The giant steel door had been blown to bits, proof of some powerful pyrotechnics. Scattered across the floor were the sizzling corpses of four Shinra infantry. Running over to one, he checked the man's rifle. It was still full; the safety wasn't even off. They hadn't even had time to fight back…

He cautiously leapt through the opening in the door, entering the holding chamber. A quick glance around the room told him enough. For a five-story holding room meant to house over a hundred of Shinra's gruesome war machines, it was completely desolate. Each and every cell lining the wall was bare of anything more than spare parts and dust. Even the repair area in the center was without activity. No wonder; the mechanics had all been shot.

"Uh…"

Wait!

Naruto ran up towards the corner of the room where the sound of life had been heard. He found lying against a wall a mechanic with three bullet wounds in his torso, still bleeding. Casting aside the riot shield, Naruto kneeled beside him and shook his shoulder. "Hey, hey! Can you speak?"

The young mechanic shakily open his eyes as far as he could, like a child trying to peek through their eyelids as their parents checked to see if they were asleep. "S-SOLDIER?"

"Who did this?"

"Ugh…I don't…Ah!"

Naruto tightened his grip on the man's shoulder. "Hold on, I'll call for help!"

The mechanic grunted "They came…an explosion, and gunfire. They mentioned…AVALANCHE…"

Wait, that didn't make any sense. AVALANCHE had been defeated when the Turks killed Fuhito. Then who was…

"Hurry…file vault…second floor…stop them." The mechanic whispered with the last air he would ever breathe.

Naruto laid the body down on a clear patch of floor, closing his eyes with a soft sweep of his hand. Naruto knew more than his fair share about killing, but here, looking down on the corpse of an innocent man, he felt something new growing inside him: wrath, burning to avenge the civilians killed by these intruders, burning to tear them, cut them, and give them a taste of the same pain they'd given the people of Sector Eight.

Leaping up to the second story, he ran up the wall, straight at the ventilation shaft. Grabbing it with one hand, he threw it open and crawled inside, riot shield and all.

It wasn't hard to fit; the shafts were very large. Making his way to the file vault, he crawled as quietly as he could, knowing that too much noise would alert the intruders to his presence. It wasn't long until he arrived at his destination.

"Here, I found another one!"

Naruto froze as he heard a voice.

"Alright, looks like there's just one more…" This time it was a woman.

Naruto crawled as slowly as he could over to the next ventilation opening. Looking down, he saw that it was a room full of file cabinets: running in rows from one end of the room to the other, all reaching right up to the ceiling. And as luck would have it, he found he was almost right above them! It was the perfect birds-eye view.

There were three total: one woman with her auburn hair in a ponytail, a lean man with short dark hair, and a short pudgy man with a bandanna around his head. Each was armed, and searching through the cabinets like there was a million dollars hidden in one of the files.

Finally, the fat one held up a file. "Got it!"

The woman took it from him "Great work, Wedge! That's all of them."

"So Jesse, you think we can really pull it off?"

"We should…we have to."

Wedge walked up to the lean man, who wasn't as sure as his chipper comrades. "Don't worry, Biggs. With Barret in the lead, nothing can stop us!"

Biggs hung his head. "I guess…"

Jesse tucked the files under her arm. "Let me just do a quick recount. I won't have us making any mistakes now."

Naruto smirked as he watched her begin to count. He'd already figured out his next course of action. He'd follow them out as soon as they left, find their base, and bust this little plot wide open. He'd make them pay personally for their crimes against the people of Midgar and the Company!

But then, something happened that threw the SOLDIER prodigy's plans to pieces. Something so small, so trivial that he would be laughing about it later in life.

He coughed.

Three heads down below tilted towards the ceiling as they locked onto the ventilation shaft. Naruto's hands flew to his mouth as he attempted to remain absolutely still, lest he offer any more proof to his presence.

"Did you hear that?"

"Don't fire! We can't go wasting our ammo unless we're sure!"

"Quiet! Listen…"

Naruto held his breath as he waited for the moment to pass. Ten seconds seemed to become ten minutes as Naruto prayed for the rebels to turn away. But it was all in vain. Something warm was settling along his hand, squeezing through his fingers. His eyes widened with terror as he realized he had coughed up blood. And before he could stop it, a single drop escaped his grasp.

The drop fell through the ventilation; right onto the files with a resounding splat.

Jesse glanced at the drop and pointed her gun at the ventilation. "Up there!"

Naruto tugged the shield beneath him and curled up until he was fully behind it. Gunfire tore through the steel shaft, smashing against the riot shield. Bullet after bullet came flying after him, each stopped by the marvel Shinra had created. Closing his eyes as he tried to come up with some plan of retaliation, he found nothing. Trapped inside this narrow tube with a handgun, his worst weapon, they had him in a corner.

Maybe he should've taken the stairs.

Suddenly, the gunfire stopped. Naruto peeked through the slit in the shield and watched as the three put down their guns. Great, not he had time to counter-atta-wait, what was that thing Biggs just picked up? Was that a bazooka?!

Biggs fired, sending the missile straight into the vent. With a thundering boom, the explosive tore through the steel as it did the door before it. Watching as fire enveloped the ceiling above, they watched as the boy fell from the fire, leaving a smoky trail in the air as he descended.

Hitting the ground about a dozen feet away from the intruders, Naruto gasped as he rolled onto his back. The shield had taken most of the hit, but of course was no match for an explosion of that caliber. It had burst almost immediately after impact, leaving him exposed to the fire and shrapnel. It was only quick thinking that saved him as he dove through the vent to the land below. But with three guns pointing at his heart, he probably wasn't any better off.

Wedge looked surprised. "It's SOLDIER!"

"Calm down! I think he's alone." Biggs narrowed his eyes. "Are there more?" He asked.

Naruto leaned up while hiding his gun behind his leg. He'd used his arms to protect himself from the explosion. Third degree burns covered his forearms, reddening and fading to black as the cells began to die. Naruto cast a hateful glance as his enemies. How was he going to get out of this? He could see it in their eyes; he didn't have long before they fired.

His body wasn't broken, but badly shaken. And without even the shield to offer cover, he couldn't hope to get in close as injured as he was now. Even if he were to pull out his gun and fire, he doubted he'd hit all three before they fired. Instead, he chose to buy some recovery time.

"I'm surprised you haven't noticed yet."

Jesse raised an eyebrow. "Noticed what?"

Naruto took his free hand and pointed towards his eyes.

'_Got them! Now what to do…_'

"Demon Eyes! You're Demon Eyes!" Wedge quickly concluded.

The young SOLDIER's lips curled into a grin. "Bingo, fatty."

'_Maybe that-no…_'

Before Wedge could respond, Biggs spoke up "Like I care who you are, Shinra scum. All I have to do is squeeze my finger, and I can close those demon eyes for good."

"Oh, threatening a kid. How low have you rebels fallen?"

'_Alright, got it!_'

"We know all about your mission from a year ago. Kids don't do that; monsters do!"

Naruto coughed up more blood as he narrowed his eyes. "You wanna die?"

"I'm not the one with a gun aimed at my head.

Naruto glared coolly at the infuriated man, who was grinning at him with dark pleasure dancing along his face. Naruto matched the sadistic look with one of his own. "Not yet!"

Before they could react, Naruto whipped his gun to the side, firing at the circuit board directing the power to the lights. The first shot hit the grey box, but did nothing. The second landed in the wall above, but the third managed to sever a vital connector inside the box, cutting the power to the lights. Just as the intruders began to fire, the room turned to black.

Naruto rolled to the side as the three began firing, narrowly avoiding further injury. Immediately he looked up, looking out upon the world through a mako filter that was SOLDIER darkvision. The three fell into disarray as they lost their primary sense, leaving him the perfect opportunity. Leaping into the air before they spotted his glowing eyes, he landed right behind the intruders and pointed raised the gun right at Biggs' head.

"Drop them."

The three went stiff. Jesse tried to turn around, but Naruto fired another shot right by Bigg's ear. "Ah ah, stay where you are."

The three froze, finding themselves in the same situation they had him in moments ago. Only unlike him, they couldn't find a way to turn the tables back on the boy. Slowly, the three lowered their weapons to the floor.

"What're you called? And I don't mean your names!" He questioned.

Biggs shivered as cold sweat ran down his neck. "A-AVALANCHE…"

Naruto scoffed. "The Turks defeated AVALANCHE."

"Well we're the new one!"

Naruto's eyes turned to the papers under the woman's arm. He grabbed them, sliding them out from the woman's protection. "Now, what do we have here?" Keeping an eye open for any sudden movements, he flipped open the first file.

The first file contained some information about the first AVALANCE. Goals, objectives, leaders, etcetera. The next file contained information about the planet. Something about the Lifestream or whatever; too much for him to cover. He'd look through it later. But the last file was particularly interesting.

The third file outlined an attack on the mako reactors. Flipping through it with one hand, he found structural layouts for the reactor, sentry rotations, guard patrol layouts, and even formulas for C4 and where to plant them for maximum effect!

"This is…" Naruto started, before a beam of light burst from the door beside them. Whatever was said next was drowned out by gunfire.

Tilting his head backwards, Naruto felt the airwave brush against his skin as a bullet sailed through the air once occupied by his head. Before he could recover, Biggs spun around and kicked him in the gut, causing him to drop the files and sending him flying back into a file cabinet. Naruto tilted his head to watch as a big burly black man walked into the room, with a gun grafted onto his right arm. With his dog tags, ripped vest and bulging muscles, he looked like a human tank!

"Get the files!"

Wedge scrambled over and picked up the files while the other two ran and got their guns. "Barret, why are you here?"

"Saving your asses! The damn army's almost here!!"

Barret turned to the figure still hidden in the dark, Demon Eyes betraying his position in the shadows. Raising his gun-arm once again, he unleashed a barrage of bullets against the SOLDIER operative. Naruto dived to the side and behind another row of cabinets to hide his mako eyes from the intruders.

"Barret, orders!"

"…Leave him, we gotta get!"

"But sir, the SOLDIER!"

"If we waste time on him, the army will set us up to fry! We got what we came for, now move out!"

"Yes sir!"

Naruto slid down the file cabinet as he listened to the patter of footsteps exit the room. As they closed the door, Naruto dropped his gun and let out another cough. Unable to cover it in time, blood flew from his mouth to the ground, with the remnants dribbling down his chin. Sighing, he leaned his head back against the cabinet, gripping a piece of paper in his right hand as if it were a lifeline.

He could hear them now: the shouts of the captains, the uniform footsteps of the grunts, they were coming. Searching the entire building, I guess. If there wasn't gunfire yet, the rebels must have escaped. Oh well, at least he knew what they were up to. Now he just had to get the evidence to the suits and leave the rest to the army. That is, if the poison didn't kill him first.

Naruto chuckled. "I'm right here, you idiots. Hurry up."

"Obliged." Naruto's head drooped to the side, lining his eyes right up with the squatting Tseng. "You look terrible."

Naruto scowled. "Don't surprise me like that."

"Hardly." Tseng sighed. Picking up his phone, he dialed in a number and waited for a moment, before starting "This is Tseng. I've got SOLDIER Second Class Naruto Uzumaki in my custody. Send a medical team to my location ASAP."

The blonde chuckled as the Turk lowered his phone. "Wait; first things first…" Naruto held up the paper he was holding. "Got it from the file just before they nicked it. It's just the title page outline, but it's sufficient, right?"

Tseng took it and looked it over, his eyes bulging a little more with every line he read. "This is…"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, AVALANCHE's old objective. These new guys plan on making it a reality."

"Who are these people."

"…They say they're the new AVALANCE. I got names: Biggs, Wedge, Je-" Tseng stopped him by pulling out a syringe, sticking it into his throat and injecting it without so much as a word. "What the hell?!"

"First aid won't be sufficient for wounds of this degree. I'll expect a full report upon your recovery."

Naruto felt like opposing magnets had been attached to his eyelids, slowly bringing him into the world of unconsciousness. Tseng was once again on his phone. Chatty bastard.

Damnit, he really didn't want to write a stupid report…

* * *

"SOLDIER Second Class Naruto Uzumaki, A.K.A. Demon Eyes."

"Sir."

Naruto saluted at the executive staff from the end of the meeting room table. Before him sat Heidegger, Scarlet, Reeve Tuesti, and President Shinra himself. Even Hojo was present, standing behind the President like a wraith.

They'd called him in almost the minute he'd been discharged from the hospital. Apparently, a written report wasn't good enough, and they wanted the facts straight from his mouth. Fine by him, as long as Hojo stayed where he was. He swore that guy was related to Orochimaru.

Heidegger began "We've called you here about the incident two days ago. We'll start with the identities of the rebels. Name them!"

God this guy was pushy. "Biggs, Wedge, Jesse, and the one who led them was called Barret."

"So four rebels, eh?" Heidegger mused, stroking his beard.

No, he _saw_ four rebels. There were probably more, but this incompetent oaf was too concerned with acting intelligent to truly _be_ intelligent!

"I saw four, there might be more we don't know of."

Heidegger choked. "Erm, yes, perhaps…"

The President rubbed his temple, obviously in no mood to deal with the man's stupidity. "Very well, what else do you know?"

Naruto mentally sighed. Wasn't the report he did in the hospital good enough? "They call themselves the second AVALANCHE, they're interested in the planet if the second file they stole shows anything, and the third file indicates they plan to destroy the reactors."

Reeve bowed his head. "I see…it's unlikely they'll continue the attack now that we're aware of their intent."

The President took a big puff from his cigar. "Either way, a small band of rebels won't break into out well-guarded facilities so easily."

Like before?

"I'll have extra grunts stationed inside the facility. Scarlet, select some combat machines to station inside the reactors!"

Scarlet licked her lips. "With pleasure, sir."

"W-wait! I mean, Mr. President, isn't that my responsibility?" Heidegger protested.

"I've had enough disappointment with your plans this month, Heidegger. It's your fault the documents were lost in the first place! And do explain just how our own machines fell into enemy hands!"

Heidegger slumped back into his chair, cursing to himself behind the cover of his wooly beard.

"Either way…" The President began, getting up out of his chair and walking around the table. "During the crisis, I'm told along with your impressive show of combat skills and improvisation, you also displayed extraordinary bravery, determination, and fortitude while carrying out your operation. Hojo was certainly right to induct you into SOLDIER. And such talent and bravery must not go unrewarded."

Naruto's eyebrows rose. "A bonus?"

The President nodded, grinning widely. "Twenty-thousand gil, and get rid of that old uniform. Purple isn't a fitting color for someone of your caliber.

No way…was this it?!

The President held out his hand. "Welcome to the elite, Naruto Uzumaki, SOLDIER First Class!"

It was euphoria. Finally, after over a year of hard training, he'd finally made it to the elite. Shakily holding out his hand, he took the Presidents and gave him a nice firm handshake.

Hmm…he's gritting his teeth…maybe a little too firm…

"Thank you, Mr. President." Naruto gave a small smile as they ended the handshake, much to the President's relief.

"Yes, well, with this promotion comes a request."

"A request?"

The President motioned to Hojo, who came stalking over. He had a gleam in his eyes unlike anything before. It wasn't the usual odd gleam that he always had. That one merely meant that he was enjoying his current activity, whether it be testing or experimentation, but it was familiar, and never meant anything too crazy. But he'd seen this one directed at animals in cages. This meant pain, mutation, and possibly even torture.

Hojo stopped several feet away from Naruto, sensing a killer aura rising from the boy. Adjusting his glasses, he began. "It seems one of my assistants has failed me; lost a pair of my experiments nearly a year ago. I'm sending you to track them down."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Human experiments?"

Laughter erupted from Hojo's throat. "Oh well yes, but no need to worry; they're nothing too monstrous. At least, not according to his last report…"

Naruto sighed as Hojo began verbally sorting through his list of horrendous scenarios of what he might encounter. Dealing with Hojo almost made him want to refuse the promotion. Of course, if he was First, he had a much higher level of influence over the company. Finding a way back to Konoha was as a middle-class SOLDIER, but not so for a First. The elite had enough influence over the company to get themselves heard; it was rumored that the reason SOLDIER had its own floor was because a First had requested it.

Oh, and the pay. The pay _definitely_ made everything better.

"So what's the mission?"

Hojo clapped his hands together in joy. "Oh, nothing much. You see, Heidegger is sending a hundred of his own men to intercept and exterminate the samples. But they're quite strong, you see. You'll be sent along as insurance. If the grunts fail, step in and eliminate them, understand?"

Naruto nodded, but couldn't help but feel a little confused. "Why send me? I'm a First now. Shouldn't I be fighting this new rebellion instead?"

"Oh, I assure you this is quite serious. You see, one of these test samples is a vegetable: garbage to be disposed of, but the other one is a former First Class. I'm afraid he might cause trouble for us…"

A First? Had he heard of him?

"What's his name?"

Hojo adjusted his glasses, covering his face with his hand to hide the ensidious grin removing whatever humanity it once held.

"SOLDIER First Class, Zack."

* * *

**A/N:** Cliffhanger. Ain't I the worst?


End file.
